


Changes

by TriDogMom



Series: Changes [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attempted Murder, Canon deaths, Canon-Typical Violence, Elemental Magic, F/M, Fluff, Fluff with a side of angst, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Kidnapping, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Standing Stones, Well slow for my style, Werewolf Remus Lupin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:01:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 60,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25487422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriDogMom/pseuds/TriDogMom
Summary: Hermione is mourning the loss of her friend Remus Lupin when the Hogwarts standing stones decide to send her back to the Final Battle.*Not a time-travel story*
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Remus Lupin
Series: Changes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911694
Comments: 825
Kudos: 427





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new story! Thank you everyone who told me how excited you were for it! The story is fully written and will be updated every Friday!
> 
> There are some twists in the story, so I will update the tags the day after I post the chapters. No Ao3 warnings apply to those scenes.

Hermione let out a deep sigh before sitting up in bed. After leaving Dumbledore's office, she had followed Harry and Ron to Gryffindor Tower. They had separated at the staircase leading to the dormitories, feet dragging. The boys headed towards their room, and she made her way to the top of the girl's staircase. Pausing only momentarily at the sign on it saying _SEVENTH YEARS_ , she pushed the door open.

With the exception of her missing trunk and piles of books, it looked the same as it had for the last six years. The things Lavender and Parvati had left behind when they went into hiding in the Room of Requirement were neatly stacked on their bedside tables. Moving to the bed that had been hers, she laid down and closed her eyes.

As exhausted as she was after being awake for more than twenty-four hours, robbing a bank, riding a dragon, and fighting in a battle, she couldn't sleep. The absence of Harry in her room was causing her anxiety. Logically she knew he was in his dorm room, but after nine months of trying to keep him safe and being on high alert, she couldn't sleep without hearing his breathing. Even when they had stayed at Shell Cottage in separate rooms, she would sneak out of bed after he retired and ward his door after checking on him. She had placed wards on his window the first day they arrived as well. As soon as Harry left the room, she was alerted.

She didn't realise how much the silence would bother her and wondered if she would have been able to sleep if Lavender and Parvati were also here. As it was, they were both at St. Mungo's. After blasting Greyback off of Lavender, Hermione had thought her dormmate was dead. She had been relieved when she saw Madam Pomfrey attending to her in the Great Hall. After the dust had settled, she watched as healers transported Lavender to St. Mungo's, Parvati, alive and well, holding her hand.

Deciding sleep was a lost cause, she stood up and rummaged through Parvati's wardrobe to find clean clothes. Even though she had her own clothes in her beaded bag, they were so worn after months of cleaning charms. They were a lost cause. Grabbing a pair of jeans, shirt, and light jumper, she summoned her least holey pair of knickers and made her way into the bathroom. After she took a long shower, standing under the hot spray until the water ran clear, she dressed and waved her wand to resize the clothes to fit her small frame. She was thankful for the month they had spent with Bill and Fleur; she wasn't as emaciated as she had been before. Picking her bag up, she looped the strap across her chest and walked out of the room.

Having no real destination in mind, Hermione made her way down the many corridors and stairways. The castle was silent—even the birds in the trees weren't singing today. When she came across a pile of rocks or a broken magical artifact in the halls from wayward curses, she would mutter a _Reparo_ and watch as the damage was reversed. The damage done by Dark Magic was harder to repair, the debris springing together only to crumble again, and she left it. There would be time and energy to fix the castle in the weeks to come.

Looking up, she realised she had made her way to the ground floor and stopped in front of the partially closed doors of the Great Hall. Hearing movement within, she pulled Harry's Invisibility Cloak from her bag and wrapped it around herself before casting a spell to silence her footsteps.

Slipping through the opening, she looked at the team of Aurors on the platform where the staff table normally sat examining the fifty or so people that had died during the battle and made her way towards them.

She stopped a few feet behind them as she heard a female Auror choke back a sob. Looking down, she saw the bodies of Remus and Tonks laid out before her. She bit her lip to hold back the cry that wanted to escape her body. She had seen them before, after hugging Ginny and Fleur over Fred's death, but it was still too much to take in.

* * *

_The dead lay in a row, but Hermione had averted her eyes as she and Ron made their way towards the family with flaming red hair surrounding what she guessed was Fred's body. She tried to count to make sure the rest of the Weasleys had survived. She could make out Fleur's silvery hair, Bill next to her with his arm around her waist. There was Percy's curly hair next to them. She didn't know if Charlie had come, but she didn't see him. As she moved closer, Ginny came into view and she quickened her steps towards her friend._

_Ginny turned at the sound of their approach, her eyes swollen and blotchy from her tears, but otherwise she looked fine. Hermione opened her arms and Ginny threw herself into them._

" _Oh, Ginny. I'm so sorry." Hermione didn't try to hold back her tears as she saw Fred's lifeless body._

_Molly was lying across her son's chest, sobbing as Mr Weasley, his own face wet with tears, stroked her hair. George, kneeling at his twin's head, had a dry face, his eyes dead as he looked up to see who had joined them. Hermione ran her hand up and down Ginny's back as she stared into George's eyes. For a moment, she wasn't sure which was worse—that Fred had died or that George had lived._

_How would he go on without Fred? Wouldn't it have been easier for George if they had both died? How does one half of a whole continue to live when they are ripped apart?_

_As if he heard her thoughts, George shrugged, kept his eyes on her and said, "It won't be easy, but Fred would want me to go on."_

_Ginny stepped back from Hermione as he spoke and moved to hug her brother. Hermione tuned the noise out as Molly pulled herself off Fred to wrap her arms around George and Ginny. The Weasleys seemed to move as one towards George and Hermione took a step back. Ron moved towards her, putting his back to his family._

" _Hermione, this probably isn't the right time, but I need to get it out," he said as he took her hand. "I know we kissed before, and it was everything I had dreamed about the last few years. But I don't think I can commit to you right now. My family needs me."_

_Hermione nodded, and even though his words stung, she knew he was right. Ron needed to be with his family and heal. It wasn't the time to start a relationship. And if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure if she could trust him. He had been great after he returned to the Horcrux hunt, but the pain of his abandonment was still fresh. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that she would always be waiting for the moment he decided to leave her again when things got too hard._

" _I understand, Ron," she said as she hugged him before stepping back. "It wouldn't have worked out anyway. I would have nagged you until you went insane."_

" _And I would have annoyed you until you hexed me," Ron added with a laugh. "I'll always love you, Hermione. You'll always be my best friend. You and Harry." He stopped as he looked around. "Where is Harry?"_

" _I'm not sure." Hermione scanned the people around them, realising for the first time that he wasn't there. "Maybe he went to Dumbledore's office to watch Snape's memories?"_

" _Why?" Ron asked._

" _Snape wouldn't have given them to Harry if they weren't important."_

" _I guess," Ron said, then turned to join his family._

_Hermione looked away from them, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath and held it in. She needed to look at the rest of the bodies. Letting the air out of her lungs, she opened her eyes. She moved her gaze over the bodies, not recognising a few people until Mr Weasley moved and she caught sight of Remus and Tonks, laying side by side._

_The tears that had stopped started falling again as she moved towards them. Tonks looked like she was sleeping, her hair having gone back to her natural chocolate brown. Lupin was pale, paler than natural and Hermione wondered if he had lost blood, even though there was none on the front of his clothes. They had been placed close together, their hands touching._

_Hermione's heart broke when she noticed Tonks' shirt was raised and her stomach was still soft and loose, stretched from her pregnancy. Poor Teddy. Only a couple of weeks old and already an orphan. Harry had been named godfather, but Hermione guessed that Andromeda would raise him. At least, unlike Harry, he would be raised in a loving home. Hermione vowed to herself to help Mrs Tonks as much as she could. Remus and Tonks may be gone, but she would make sure their son knew about his parents._

* * *

Pulling herself from her recollections, Hermione listened as the male Auror waved his wand over their bodies and recorded the cause of their deaths.

"Tonks, killed by _Avada_ ," he spoke as the female wrote it down. "Remus Lupin, a modified slicing curse to the back and another curse I can't identify. They both appear to be original hexes and I can't tell which one killed him."

Leaning down, the Auror lifted Remus' shirt and Hermione had to clasp her hand over her mouth to stop the gasp escaping. There, across Remus' chest was a long, thin purple line that matched the scar Hermione had across her own. Antonin Dolohov had killed Remus.

"Such a loss," the female said. "He was my favourite professor, and the D.M.L.E. won't be the same without Tonks."

He nodded as he moved towards the next body, Colin Creevey. Hermione couldn't take it anymore and turned to leave the Hall. She needed to get outside of these walls.

Making her way out of the castle, she pulled the cloak from her body and shoved it in her bag as she found herself walking across the short wooden bridge that led towards Hargird's hut. As she stepped out into the sunshine, she looked at the circle of stones surrounding her. There in front of her was the stone Malfoy had stood at to watch Buckbeak be killed before she punched him in the face. It was only four years ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

She moved towards the rock and looked at the blood that was splashed across the surface. Had she known the person who had bled here? Was it someone that she loved that had given a sacrifice of their life force? Sacrificed so people like her could live in a world that wasn't ruled by a blood purist?

Closing her eyes, she thought of the ones she had lost. Fred, killed as the wall exploded; Dobby, died while saving them from Malfoy Manor; Professor Snape–whom she had always respected–killed by the snake before her eyes; Tonks, so full of laughter, now lifeless in the Great Hall.

Her mind turned to Remus. Handsome werewolf that had been her favourite professor. The man who recommended additional Defence books during her third year, spending time teaching her protective charms for extra credit while Ron and Harry weren't speaking to her. She smiled at the crush she had developed on him at the end of that year as he held her while she sobbed over her Boggart.

The crush had faded as she grew, but her respect for him only increased. Living at Grimmauld Place before fifth year, the two of them met in the library most nights and he had morphed from her professor to her mentor. The hours were spent pouring over spell books–some Dark, some not–as he taught her how to defend herself against harm. They passionately debated their opposing views on magical theories, but always left the room smiling. Sirius referred to them as _Swot Siblings_ more than once after walking in on a study session.

Her mind filled with the memories of her lost friend as sobs wracked her body. She pressed her hand against the rock in front of her to balance herself and felt her world tilt. A loud buzzing filled her ears and she felt herself being pulled into the stone.

Opening her eyes, she watched in horror as her left hand disappeared into the rock. Pulling her wand from her pocket, she clutched it in her right hand and tried to figure out what to do. The pulling sensation was increasing, everything below her elbow invisible. She was going to be sucked into the rock and her body would never be found.

Her mind flashed to Harry. What would he think when she didn't come down from her dorm? How would he survive her loss? She was the only family he had left; his sister, he called her.

Her arm was gone almost up to her shoulder, and the pulling was now getting painful. Gathering all the courage she could find, she closed her eyes and threw the rest of her body towards the rock, allowing it to devour her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're off!
> 
> All the love and praise in the world to my ABC team! Alpha: BreathOfThePhoenix Beta: PotionChemist Cheerleader: LuxLousie.
> 
> Weekly sneak peeks posted on my Tumblr (tridogmom) on Wednesdays


	2. Chapter 2

Opening her eyes when the pulling sensation stopped, Hermione found herself standing exactly where she had been seconds before — but instead of being in the afternoon sun, it was dark. Tears dried on her cheeks as the deathly chill of nearby Dementors blew across her face. The air smelled thickly of ozone and she could hear distant bangs as the sky was lit with spells. The roar of a giant pulled her from her thoughts and she looked at the stone before her. Blood was no longer splashed across it.

"Dora, go home. Teddy needs his mother!" Remus yelled.

"I'm not leaving you, Remus," Tonks yelled back. "If you're staying, I'm staying."

Hermione turned to see her friends alive and standing in front of her. Their sides were turned towards her, but she didn't understand what was going on. It felt like time stood still as she stared at them. They looked exactly like they had when she had seen them in the Room of Requirement yesterday. In a moment of clarity, she realised she was back in the Final Battle and they were still alive.

Before she could say or do anything, movement caught her eye and she saw two Death Eaters, wands raised, running towards them. One was masked, but Bellatrix Lestrange had left hers off and her wild hair was moving around her like it was alive. Hermione briefly wondered whose wand Bellatrix was carrying because Hermione had the witch's wand in her own hand.

Her brain was still trying to process what had happened, but her body filled with endorphins as her fight or flight instincts kicked in. It took Hermione a split second to raise her wand to protect the two people near her as the light of a spell sped towards them.

" _Protego!_ " she yelled.

Her Shield Charm, small but powerful, covered Remus' back and she watched in satisfaction as the teal light of the masked Death Eater's _Sectumsempra_ bounced off of it. Her mind flashed back to the words the Auror had said about Remus' death. He called it a modified slicing curse, which is exactly what the Death Eater had cast.

Had the stones brought her back to the moment of Remus and Tonks' death? Why? What was she supposed to do? The rules of time were simple: don't be seen, and don't change the past.

Well, that was the rule when dealing with Time-Turners. Were the rules different when it was elemental magic that threw you back in time instead of a man-made object? At least she thought it was elemental magic. She knew Hogwarts and the grounds contained unknown powers, but she had never heard of anyone traveling through the stone circle before.

As far as she knew, no one even _talked_ about the fact that there was a circle of standing stones on Hogwarts' grounds. They were just part of the landscape.

Was the universe giving her the chance to make things right? To make sure Teddy didn't have to be raised as an orphan? Making sure the next generation of magical children wouldn't have as hard of a time as her generation had? It hadn't been much, but simply protecting Remus from the slicing hex had already altered the past–or was it the future?

Pushing her confusing thoughts aside and deciding she would figure it out later, she focused on the happenings around her. While it seemed like minutes had passed since she came out of the stone, she realised it had only been seconds. Remus turned to see who had shielded his unprotected back.

His eyes widened. "Hermione, get out of here!" he hollered.

"The Mudblood wants to fight, Dolohov. It's time we kill her so I can get my wand back," Bellatrix sneered. "Then we can put the wolf and his filthy blood-traitor of a wife down. It will feel so good to prune the Black family tree of that disease."

"With pleasure, Bella," Dolohov answered. "That bitch has caused enough trouble."

Remus and Tonks moved to stand by her, the three of them side by side, with Remus in the middle. Dropping her Shield Charm, Hermione threw hex after hex at the two approaching figures. She was shocked at how fast they were. Hermione had remembered how much she, Ginny, and Luna had struggled against Bellatrix the night before, but Tonks was a fully trained Auror and Remus an experienced wizard. These two handled the three of them like they were school children. They blocked everything thrown their way.

Hermione watched in horror as Dolohov slashed his wand through the air in a pattern she recognised from the Department of Mysteries.

" _Violetinėmirtis_!"

Time seemed to slow down as purple flames flew from Dolohov's wand towards Remus. Hermione didn't hesitate; she jumped in front of Remus, the contact making him stumble behind her.

" _Protego Resulto!_ " she screamed, thrusting her wand towards the Death Eater.

It was a modified shield charm she had been working on during the long hours she spent on lookout duty while on the run. Instead of absorbing the spell like _Protego,_ or deflecting spells without control like _Protego Maxima_ , this one shot the spell back towards the caster. Hermione had seen too many jinxes hit bystanders during Dumbledore's Army meetings, and she wanted to create something that could avoid injuring her friends. Not pausing to allow Dolohov to react and before the purple flames could reach him, Hermione sent another spell his way.

" _Sectumsempra!"_

She felt the pain of using such a dark spell rip across her chest, matched only by the pain of knowing that the one who created it was dead. She had to wonder if Snape would be proud of her for using the spell on someone like the filth in front of her.

Dolohov had no time to block his purple flames and they struck him across the chest. Less than a second later, the teal light collided with him and split his chest open. Hermione watched for a split second in shock and wonder as his insides were displayed and purple flames ate at his internal organs before focusing her attention on Bellatrix.

"You'll pay for that, you fucking Mudblood!" Bellatrix screamed at her.

Hermione could see the insanity of the witch's mind through her eyes. They were bulging and spittle was foaming around her mouth. Bellatrix raised her wand and shot a nasty yellow curse at them. Hermione threw up a quick Shield Charm and it bounced off the top, but ricocheted off the stones behind them, causing the ground at their feet to explode.

"Fuck!" Remus yelled as she felt him fall to the ground.

"Remus!" both girls called.

"My leg and my wand are broken," he cried out in agony.

"Hermione," Tonks yelled. "I'll fight her. Take Remus and go."

"We're not leaving you, Tonks." Hermione sent a blasting curse at Bellatrix before putting her Shield Charm back up, but missed her target.

"If you're staying, I'm staying, Dora," Remus said.

Hermione could hear him struggling to stand behind them. She went on the offensive with Bellatrix trying to give Tonks time to talk to Remus between hexes. Hermione growled as the wand in her hand fought back on every spell. She would have to apologise to Harry for his reluctance to use the hawthorn wand because she finally understood what he was trying to tell her. The one in her hand didn't want to work for her.

"Remus," Tonks said to him, "she is too powerful. Teddy needs his father. Go!"

"He needs his _mother_ , Dora."

"Isn't this touching?" Bellatrix said in a baby voice. "Does wittle Nymphadora love her wolfy? Does she want him to go take care of their wittle puppy?"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY CHILD!" Tonks screamed at her aunt, spit flying from her mouth.

Hermione continued to send hex after hex at Bellatrix, but she was too quick. The way Bellatrix dueled was nothing like Hermione had ever seen before. Her body seemed to move away from spells like she had a repelling curse covering her from head to toe. If she wasn't fighting against her, it would be beautiful to watch. She wondered if the wand in her hand, Bellatrix's old wand, was refusing to hit its previous owner or if maybe Bellatrix was still the owner since Hermione hadn't won the wand. If only she had studied wandlore in more detail.

"Hermione," Tonks pleaded with her. "You have to take Remus. His leg is broken. Take him and run."

"We aren't leaving you, Tonks," Hermione gritted as one of Bellatrix's curses hit the shield she erected just in time.

She tried to put up her rebounding shield, but she couldn't. She could feel her magic draining from her body the longer they fought. She had already used so much the first time through the Battle — not to mention all the repairs she had done on the castle — and she was afraid that within minutes of fighting like this she wouldn't even be able to hold a simple shield. Already she could feel her hexes weren't as strong. Bellatrix was just too good for her to beat.

"You have to leave, Hermione. I can feel you weakening," Tonks told her. "You won't last against her. Take Remus and go."

"I can't leave you, Tonks." Hermione's vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. "Teddy needs you."

Hermione was so confused. She thought that the magic of the stones had brought her back to this moment to save Remus and Tonks. Why was she weakening if she was supposed to be here? Shouldn't the elemental magics have rejuvenated her? Made her stronger, more powerful? Why bring her back just so she could die alongside the Lupins?

"Teddy needs his father and a mother, Hermione." She watched as Tonks threw a hex at Bellatrix and it missed, causing the tree behind her to catch on fire. A branch fell, hitting Bellatrix on the arm, catching her sleeve on fire, and giving them a moment's pause from the hexes. "Take Remus home to Teddy. Be his mum, Hermione. Tell him how much I loved him."

Tonks had tears pouring from her eyes, cutting fresh tracks on her dirty face. Hermione knew Tonks didn't want to do this, but would do anything to make sure Teddy wasn't alone. It was in that moment that Hermione got to see the strength of a mother's love once again.

In a move that reminded her of Molly Wealsey protecting her, Luna, and Ginny in the Great Hall, Tonks stepped in front of Hermione. Tonks pushed her back into her, each step causing Hermione to move back until she was centimetres from the stone she had come through. Remus tried to leap up from the ground, but started to fall as he put weight on his shattered leg. Glancing down, Hermione could see bone sticking out of his skin as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Go, please," Tonks begged. "Love my son as if he were your own."

Hermione's scream mingled with Remus' as Tonks stood in front of them, a bright green light cutting through her shield charm as the sound of rushing death Hermione had once heard in Moody's classroom filled the air.

"Love my son. Be his mum," Tonks said before the light hit her chest, and she dropped to the ground.

Bellatrix's laughter cut through Hermione's shocked cry of _'I promise!'_ as she raised her wand towards them again. Her chest was heaving as she stared them down. Remus was crying against her and struggling to get to his dead wife. Anguish tore through Hermione as she held her friend back. She knew that if she let go of him, he would die as fast as his wife had. Tonks had been clear that she didn't want Teddy to be an orphan and Hermione knew she needed to save Remus. There was nothing she could do about Tonks except fulfill her dying wish.

"Time to die, Mudblood. _Avada Kedavra!"_

Hermione saw the area around her lit up by the bright green light, but she didn't turn to watch it shoot towards them. She didn't look down to see it reflected in the eyes of her dead friend. Blocking out the sound of rushing death speeding towards them once again and the painful cries from the man half standing beside her, Hermione reacted. Reaching out, she grabbed Remus and flung them towards the standing stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! And interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom).


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione and Remus landed hard against the ground and he cried out in pain at the impact. Opening her eyes, Hermione sighed in relief as sunshine filled the air around them. The battle was over and they were safe. She could only hope that she hadn't changed the outcome of the entire war by saving Remus' life.

Looking around, the damage that had been there before still looked the same, minus the blood on the stone. Now matter how silly it sounded, she felt like nothing had changed except Remus surviving. It wasn't anything tangible, but something she felt in her soul.

"Where is Dora?" Remus asked. He turned his head, looking everywhere, clearly panicking. "What happened?"

Ignoring Remus' questions for a moment, Hermione pointed her wand into her beaded bag and began summoning healing potions. She sat them on the ground next to her and her mouth fell open as she looked at the wand that had landed between her knees. Remus' wand — broken in the blast from Bellatrix that had shattered Remus' leg — was whole once more.

"I went back in time, Remus," Hermione told him. "I think… I think the stones sent me back to save you."

Hermione wasn't sure if that was the real reason she had been sent back to that specific moment in time, but it was the only thing that made sense to her. She had been mourning for Remus, wishing he hadn't died, when she touched the rock splattered with his blood. She knew it had to have been his blood. If she hadn't been there, Dolohov's spell would have slashed his back open and covered the stone in blood.

Grabbing the wound sanitising potion that flew from her bag, she grabbed his hand.

"This will sting," she said as she poured the entire contents on his leg.

"Fuck!" he hissed as the potion bubbled and fizzed on his wound. "What in the hell are you talking about? Where's Dora? What stones?"

As the potion slowly dripped away, she could see the broken bone of his lower leg. Over the last day, she'd seen a lot of blood and gore, but it hadn't prepared her for the sight of a bone protruding from Remus' body; something that was supposed to be _inside_ someone's body. Stealing herself so she wouldn't retch on him, she pointed her wand at it.

"I have never mended a leg, but I know the theory," she told him. Twisting her wand hand anti-clockwise, she spoke clearly. " _Cruris_ _Emendo."_

They both watched in morbid fascination as his bone slipped back into his body and she winced as she heard the audible snap of it setting back together. Hermione sent up a silent prayer that it had worked as she summoned Dittany from her bag. The spell she'd just performed was similar to the one Lockhart had used on Harry in their second year — the one that removed the bones from his arm. Luckily, _she_ wasn't an idiot, so Remus wouldn't have to spend the night regrowing his bones. She felt the last of her magical energy leave with the spell and knew her magic would be useless until she was able to get some sleep and recharge herself.

"My leg is fixed. Now tell me what in the hell is going on, Hermione," Remus snapped. She heard him growling at her, a deep noise from inside his chest, but chose to ignore it.

She went to work, pouring the Dittany over the open gash in his leg and handing him her last phial of pain potion as she explained everything that had happened since she had seen him in the Room of Requirement so long ago. Holding nothing back, she explained how he and his wife had died in that timeline and how she had travelled through the stone, allowing her to save him.

Remus was quiet for a few moments before speaking.

"But if I died before, my body would still be in the Great Hall. That's how Time-Turners work. It's a closed loop. What happened before will always happen again, like when you and Harry saved Sirius."

"I'm not sure what will happen, Remus. I don't know if your body will be there or not," Hermione replied honestly. She was in the dark about what was happening as much as Remus was. "I didn't use a Time-Turner. I told you, I was sent back through the stones. I don't know what happened or why. I don't know how this has impacted the events of last night. Things look the same, but anything could have changed."

She had read all about Time-Turners — before, during, and after she had used one in third year. The Department of Mysteries had books and books of the dangerous things that could happen when you meddled with time.

_That is why you had to be careful not to see yourself,_ Hermione thought _. If you ended up killing your future self, you would stop existing when time caught up. You also ran the risk of killing someone else in their past. Any alteration could change everything._

"I want to see Dora's body," Remus said, his voice cutting into her thoughts.

"Since we aren't sure… Well, just in case your body is there... Put the Cloak on."

Hermione helped him to his feet and was pleased that he was able to put weight on his leg. She pulled the Invisibility Cloak from her bag and handed it to him. She watched as a small smile spread across his face as he took it.

"I haven't seen this since I was your age," he said before wrapping it around himself and disappearing from view.

"Remus, wait," Hermione said. She couldn't see him, but he must have moved because something fell to the ground. "Look."

Reaching down, she grabbed Tonks' wand. It must have fallen and gotten stuck in the cuff of Remus' pants when she died and traveled back through the stones with them. Hermione handed it to where she thought Remus was. His hand appeared and he took the wand before pulling the cloak around himself again.

"I think I'll save this for Teddy," he choked out.

They walked back into the castle and she heard small noises from him as he took in the damage. The ground floor was the worst, and they had to crawl over a few piles of rubble. She had seen this on her way outside, but to Remus, who had died early in the battle when the school was undamaged, this must seem surreal.

Hermione opened the door that led to the staff table and glanced over the bodies still laying there. Tonks was in the same place she had been earlier, but there was no Remus beside her body.

"Your body isn't there," she said to Remus.

He pulled the Invisibility Cloak off his body. Handing it to her, he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Remus?" she asked. "We don't have to. I'm not going to judge you if it's too hard."

"I need to see her," he responded.

Hermione shoved the cloak back into her bag as they made their way into the Great Hall and stopped in front of Tonks' still body. She grasped Remus' hand as a sob fell from his lips. Remus squeezed her hand back as they looked down at the brave woman surrounded by the other deceased bodies. Instead of the pale face Hermione had seen when she last looked at Tonks' body, it was now dirty; clean streaks from the tears that had fallen cut through the grime.

Hermione moved to sit at the Gryffindor table while Remus mourned. Two Aurors were still making their way through the line of bodies and stopped to talk to Remus before they continued. Exhaustion started to overwhelm her and she put her head on the table, closing her eyes. She must have drifted off because the next thing she knew, Remus was shaking her awake.

* * *

"Hermione, you need to head up to bed," Remus said as he held out his hand to help her up.

She looked like a lorry had run her over, and backed up to do it again. She had put on some weight from when he had last seen her at Shell Cottage two weeks ago, but was still much too thin. He idly wondered how long it would take for Molly Weasley to rectify that. The circles under eyes were too dark for someone so young.

"Are you coming?" Hermione asked.

"No," he said, walking her out of the Great Hall. He looked at his feet. "I need to head to Andromeda's and tell her about Dora. And I need to see my son."

Moony was howling for him to go check on their pup and make sure he was safe. While Remus trusted Andromeda, they hadn't known each other long enough to be close and his inner wolf hadn't decided to make her part of his pack yet.

Moony recognised Dora as his mate and knew she was gone. He was anxious for Remus to take a new mate, someone to foster his pup, to feed and raise him. As soon as Hermione had promised Dora she'd care for Teddy, Moony had accepted her offer. His inner wolf had always liked the witch – it wasn't often someone liked the human he lived inside of – and now he respected her even more.

"Oh, Remus," she sobbed, her emotions seeming to catch up to her. "I'm so sorry. How can I help? Do you want me to come with you?"

Remus stopped walking and looked at her, his eyes roaming over her face before he stared into hers. Moony was snarling at him as he felt Remus' human emotions, the ones that wanted Hermione to be able to live her life like a normal teenager. He wanted her to finish school, date, fall in love, have her own children. Moony was ready to accept her as the pup's mum without delay.

When he traveled with werewolf packs when he was younger, he had learned how similar they were to their inner animals. With normal wolves, typically only the alpha male and female mated; occasionally the omega pair would mate if the pack was small. When a pup was born, it was protected by every member of the pack. The females all fed the offspring, no matter who the mother was. And if the alpha female died, the pups were immediately given to one of the other females to raise, the strong magic of the new mother and child creating a bond between them so the inner wolves recognised each other as parent and offspring.

Moony had heard Dora's pleading to Hermione and accepted her as Teddy's new mum without hesitation. It was the natural order of things. When the mother died, another wolf in the pack cared for the pups. As soon as his mate asked her to raise their son, Hermione became pack. Remus could almost hear Moony asking him why he was considering any other option.

"Hermione, I heard what Dora said to you. Right before she d—" Remus choked on the word, unable to bring himself to verbally admit what he had seen and knew. Dora was dead. She wasn't coming back.

"Remus," Hermione said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "I would be honoured if you let me help you with Teddy. But, regardless of what Tonks said, you're his only parent now. If you aren't comfortable with it, I won't press the issue."

She paused before placing her hand on his shoulder. "If you don't want me to step in like Tonks asked, I do hope you'll allow me to be an auntie to him."

"Hermione." Remus gave her a weak smile. "You were always going to be his auntie."

As the tears started to fall down his face, he pulled her into his arms. He didn't know what to do. His human and wolf sides were at odds. Remus wanted to do what he always did: retreat from the world and hide. Moony wanted to take Hermione with him and raise their pup together. He had worked so hard to suppress Moony, he was a little taken aback at how loud he was being. Deciding he needed time to consider the options, he pulled back.

"I need to get home," he said. "I'll think about what Dora said, and I'll contact you in a few days."

"Don't take too long, Remus. I know you hate to accept help, but that is what friends do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

Remus and Hermione went their separate ways at the bottom of the marble staircase. As soon as she made it to the first floor, he turned and started towards the main gates. He was halfway there before he realised the anti-Apparation wards were probably still down. He glanced at his watch, noting that at half eight, Andromeda would have been awake for hours and was probably worried sick. Stealing his nerves for what he had to do, he turned on the spot, letting the squeezing sensation fill him until he arrived just outside the Tonks' house.

He was halfway to the door when it swung open and Andromeda rushed out, Teddy not with her. Remus watched with pain in his heart as she smiled, then looked behind him. Her eyes darted around, becoming more frantic as she turned to look at the entire garden.

"Remus, what—? Where is Nym—?" She started shaking as she stuttered.

"I'm so sorry, Andromeda." Remus didn't know what else to say.

The woman before him had already lost her entire family when she married, and just months ago, her husband had died. Now, he was telling her that she had lost her only child — the ' _greatest thing I have ever done',_ as she had once told him. A year ago, Andi had a family. Now she was a widow and a mother without her child.

"No!" she choked out before collapsing.

Remus rushed forward and caught her as she hit the ground. Wrapping his arms around her, he pressed her face into his chest and felt her tears soaking his shirt. Rubbing his hand up and down her back, he stayed silent as she sobbed, screamed, and punched his chest. Remus had never felt so useless in his life. He wasn't sure how long he held her, but eventually, she quieted and pulled back.

"I'm sorry, Remus." Her voice was flat as if the life had leaked out of her with her tears.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

A wail sounded from the house, and Remus stiffened. Teddy needed him. He fought back the instinct to abandon the woman in his arms for his child. Standing, he helped Andromeda to her feet and they moved towards the house.

"He slept most of the night, but he will be hungry now," Andromeda said, directing him to the cot she had set up in the living room. "I couldn't sleep last night after Dora left and I wanted him near me."

Remus and Dora had lived here for the last few weeks of her pregnancy and, since he had been born, Teddy had been sleeping in a cot in their room. Remus leaned down to pick up Teddy, but Andromeda put her hand between them. He bit back the snarl from Moony, taking a deep breath instead.

"Sorry, Remus." She looked at him like she knew the battle that was going on inside him. "I know you need to hold him, but you're filthy. At least take that shirt off."

Remus looked down at his shirt. He had blood on one side from a slicing hex that had hit him at some point and dirt all over him. Even though Teddy was crying, he knew he couldn't touch him yet.

"May I use your shower?" he asked. "I'll only be a few minutes."

"Of course you can." Her expression softened. "This is still your home, Remus. I'll grab you some clean clothes."

He allowed her to pick Teddy up and followed her as they made their way upstairs. He ignored Moony's howling as he stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower before vanishing his clothes. They weren't beyond repair, but he never wanted to see them again.

Within moments of stepping into the hot water, he heard the door open and Teddy's cries as Andromeda left clean clothes for him. He lathered himself as quickly as possible, not even waiting to rinse fully before shampooing his hair. Within two minutes, he was fully clean and dressed in a pair of jeans and a jumper.

When he opened the door, Andromeda was standing there and handed Teddy to him. Moony calmed as soon as his pup was in his arms. Remus inhaled his newborn scent, letting it soothe him, even though Teddy was still crying. He followed Andromeda to the kitchen without a thought, his focus only on his son. After sitting at the table, a cup of tea before him, he looked at his mother-in-law.

"Do you have anything he can eat?"

Dora had been breastfeeding Teddy, and Remus had a moment of panic when he realised that wasn't going to work anymore. Andromeda summoned a bottle from the icebox, waved her wand at it to heat it up, and handed it to him.

"Dora pumped a few bottles," she offered in explanation. "But he has refused to eat since she left."

Putting the bottle to his son's mouth, he sighed as Teddy latched on and started to drink deeply. For a few minutes, the only sound in the kitchen was the small grunts from his son as he drank.

"Remus," Andromeda said quietly. "How did she die?"

Remus told her what happened. He left out the part about travelling through the stones, but he told her how Hermione had saved him from Dolohov, how she had killed the Death Eater. He told her about how hard Dora had fought before sacrificing herself to Bellatrix so Remus and Hermione could live. He paused and stuttered a few times before telling her what Dora had asked of Hermione.

"Oh, my brave girl," Andromeda cried as he finished.

They sat in silence; Teddy had gone back to sleep after finishing his meal while Remus spoke. He kept his eyes averted, giving her some semblance of privacy as she cried over her dead daughter again. It was a few minutes before Andromeda looked at him.

"What did Hermione say about it?"

"What?" Remus asked, nonplussed.

"Hermione, what did she say? About Dora asking her to raise Teddy as her own?"

"Andromeda," he replied, "I can't ask her to help me. She is so young."

"You aren't asking her; Nymphadora did. I don't know Hermione, but if my daughter's dying wish was that she raise my grandchild"—Andromeda gave him a hard stare—"you're going to honour that request."

"But," he paused, trying to take in her words. "Don't you think it is inappropriate? She's only eighteen, and we're his family, not her."

Internally, Moony growled at him. Hermione was the woman chosen to replace the pup's late mother. She was _pack_. And pack outranked the human sitting across from him. Moony liked Andi well enough, but she would never be trusted as much as someone Moony accepted into his family.

"Dora was smart, Remus. I know Hermione was part of the Order and my daughter spoke highly of her. She wouldn't have asked Hermione if she didn't think she could do it. "

"I know, but it is too much to ask of her."

"What did Hermione say? I assume you talked about it?"

"She said she would be honoured to help if I let her. But if I wasn't comfortable with it, then… Well, she asked if she could be an auntie," Remus told her.

"See, she's willing. So why are you hesitating?"

"So you're okay with another woman coming in to raise your grandchild just hours after your daughter died?" Remus asked softly.

Between Moony and Andromeda, he didn't think this was a fight he was going to win. He wasn't sure which of the two was more stubborn, but he thought it might be his mother-in-law.

"Teddy needs a mum, Remus. I want what is best for my grandson. And his mother thought Hermione was the best for the job," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Go lie down with Teddy. After you wake up, we can talk about it some more if you need to."

* * *

"Hermione?" Harry's low voice woke her. "What are you doing in here?"

After leaving Remus, Hermione had gone to her dorm, bathed again, borrowed more of Parvati's clothes and tried to sleep. Once again, anxiety filled her, so she snuck into the boys' dormitory, pulled the mattress off an empty bed, and slept on the floor between Ron and Harry.

"My dorm was too quiet," she said in explanation.

"Let me get changed," he whispered. "I'll meet you in the common room in a few minutes."

Hermione sat dozing in her favourite armchair by the fireplace as she waited for Harry. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was just after three. Her stomach was growling and she wondered if the kitchens had been damaged or if she would be able to go there and make a sandwich. She heard footsteps on the stairs and stood as Harry entered the room.

"I forgot you have all my clothes in your bag. I had to borrow these from Neville's trunk," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She reached into her bag and pulled Ron's knapsack from it and sent it up to their dorm so he would have clothes when he woke up. "I raided Parvati's wardrobe. Want to go see if we can find some food?" she asked.

"Yes, please," Harry said, leading the way out of the portrait hole. "I can't remember the last time I ate. Ron woke up when I was leaving… He said he is going to head to the Burrow and we should come over."

"Have you thought about where you're going to live?"

"No. I need to go check on Grimmauld Place, but I'm not sure I want to live there."

"I'm sure you could fix it up. We can ask Bill to remove Moody's curse so Dusty Dumbledore doesn't attack you every time you walk in."

"Maybe." They walked in silence until they were going down the hallway that led to the kitchens. "Are you moving in with Remus?"

"What?" Hermione was shocked. _How did Harry know?_

"You and Remus told Ron and me about Tonks asking you to raise Teddy with him." Harry looked at her with confusion clear on his face. "Right before we walked up to Dumbledore's office. Don't you remember?"

Deciding that whatever magic had sent her back to save Remus must have corrected the differences in the timelines, Hermione went along with Harry. Trying to figure out Time-Turner magic had been hard enough; she wasn't going to spend time worrying about Hogwarts' standing stones right now.

"Sorry, yesterday was just…" She hesitated. "It was so much. I think my brain is overloaded."

"I understand," Harry said with a huff of laughter. "I'm surprised we're not still sleeping."

They stopped in front of the painting of the bowl of fruit and Harry reached out to tickle the pear until it turned into the handle. He pulled the door open and allowed her to enter before him. She smiled at the small little show of chivalry that proved Harry Potter had matured.

"I can't believe we actually broke into Gringotts and rode a dragon." Harry turned to look at her as they walked into the cavernous kitchen. "A fucking _blind_ dragon."

Hermione couldn't stop the laughter that escaped her, and it doubled when Harry joined in.

"Who would have ever thought Hermione Granger would be a dragon-riding bank robber?" he gasped between bursts of laughter.

"Master!"

Their laughter was cut off when they saw Kreacher hurrying towards them, plates of food trailing behind him. Hermione's stomach grumbled at the prospect of eating house-elf cooking again. She still wanted elves to be free and have benefits, but she wasn't going to deny that they were excellent cooks.

"Master, I thought you and Miss would be hungry. I have lunch for you."

"Thank you, Kreacher!" Harry said, moving to sit at the nearest table.

They both groaned in appreciation at the steak and kidney pie he had made. Even though they had spent the last month at Shell Cottage, Hermione was still excited anytime there was a full plate of food in front of her and idly wondered how long it would be until that stopped. She had just set down her fork and pushed her plate away when a wolf Patronus flew through the wall and stopped in front of her, Remus' voice filling the kitchen.

" _We should talk. Can you meet me and Teddy at Shell Cottage at five?"_

"Are you going to the Burrow or do you want to come with me?" Hermione asked him as the wolf faded away.

"I think I'll come with you if you don't mind. I want to meet my godson," Harry said. He took a deep breath before quickly speaking. "Plus I don't feel right going anywhere without you yet."

Hermione leaned against him. "It doesn't feel right to me, either. I'm glad you're coming with me."

Hermione looked at her watch, they would have to leave in twenty minutes. She sent back her otter to confirm the time and place, and to let Remus know she was bringing Harry. Whilst she was nervous to hear what Remus had to say, she was excited to see Teddy for the first time. Regardless of what Remus decided, Teddy was her family now. Plus, she was looking forward to seeing Harry holding a baby. It would be good for him to see that life continues, even after all the death they had seen over the last few days.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	5. Chapter 5

Remus was waiting for them in the front garden when Harry and Hermione arrived at Shell Cottage. As soon as they landed, Harry and Remus wrapped their arms around each other and hugged. Hermione looked down at her shoes to give them some privacy as she heard Harry start to sob into Remus' chest. She couldn't hear everything they were saying but she distinctly heard Harry cry out one thing.

"I'm so glad you're alive Remus. I felt like you had died, even though you didn't."

"It's okay," Remus said, lifting his head to look at Hermione. "I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."

"Where is Teddy?" Harry asked as he pulled back from Remus and wiped his eyes.

"Fleur took him from me as soon as I walked in. Andromeda is in there with her as well."

"Fleur and Bill are here?" Hermione asked, assuming they would be with the Weasleys.

"Just Fleur. Bill is over at the Burrow with his family," Remus answered.

"Ron is going over there too," Harry said. "I wanted to meet my godson, then I'll head over."

"Why don't you go in and see him?" Remus said. "Hermione and I need to talk about a few things."

They watched as Harry went into the house, hardly pausing to knock as he opened the door. Hermione smiled at how excited Harry was to meet Teddy. It had been all he talked about after she had received Remus' Patronus. He was determined to be the best godfather he could be and be as involved in Teddy's life as Remus would let him.

"He was a good choice for godfather, Remus. He will be wonderful at it."

"Yes, I thought so as well," Remus said. "He has a lot of love to give."

"Does Teddy have a godmother?" Hermione asked.

"Dora and I were thinking about asking you, but hadn't gotten around to it yet…" his voice trailed off.

They sat and stared at the closed door of the cottage for a few moments, and the silence between them started to feel awkward. Straightening her shoulders, Hermione turned to him, even though he wasn't looking her way.

"How is Andromeda?" she asked.

"As well as can be expected," Remus answered. "She has not only lost Ted and Dora, but Bellatrix as well. They may not have spoken in almost thirty years, but they were close as children and I know it's hard for her. Doubly hard that it was Bellatrix who killed Dora, I think."

"I can't imagine the pain she is going through. But, maybe now that the war is over, she will have the chance to reconnect with Narcissa. She lied to Voldemort, so she must have some good inside of her."

"I hope they can reconcile," Remus said. "Narcissa was always a smart, quiet girl. Snobby, but never evil."

"It will be good for Teddy to have a family around him," Hermione said.

"Speaking of Teddy and family..." Remus finally turned from the house to look at her. "Andromeda and I talked about what Dora asked of you."

Hermione nodded, not sure what else to say.

"Please know that you're not obligated, but Andromeda thinks… Well, we both think that Dora's wishes should be honoured. If you still want to… that is…" Remus rubbed the back of his neck. "Fuck, this is hard."

"Remus, are you saying you want me to raise Teddy with you?" Hermione asked. "I know I'm not his mum, but I'll be as good of a step-mum... bonus mum… I don't know what word to use, but I'll be as good of a parent to him as I can be. I'll be as involved as you're comfortable with."

She was equal parts happy and sad. Sad that Tonks had died and left Teddy to be raised by another woman. But happy that Tonks had respected her enough to entrust the mothering of her child to her.

* * *

Remus could barely hear her over Moony's howl of joy in his head. He knew if he was in his wolf form, his tail would be wagging.

"We can work out what to call you," Remus said with a laugh at her rambling. "So you'll do it then?"

"Of course I will!" Hermione took a step towards Remus and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It was Tonks' final wish. I'll do anything to fulfill it."

"Thank you, Hermione. This won't be easy, but I know we can do it."

"Anything you need Remus, I'm here for you. Now"—she paused and stepped back—"when can I meet Teddy?"

"Would you like to meet him now?"

Moony was still loud in his head, happy that the pack would be together now and his pup would have a mother. Remus could almost feel the inner wolf, front legs in front of him, bum in the air, tail wagging playfully before jumping and running around. He hadn't felt Moony this excited since Dora first placed Teddy in his arms.

"Yes, please," Hermione answered as they made their way into the cottage.

* * *

As soon as Hermione agreed to help raise Teddy, she felt a pull towards the house where he was. She needed to see him, to hold him. To nurture, feed, and see to his every need.

Walking into the living room, she saw Harry holding him. Harry was facing her, Teddy in his arms, a tuft of turquoise hair just visible over Harry's elbow. Instantly, Hermione moved towards them. She felt no animosity towards Harry, but her instinct was telling her to go to Teddy and hold him in her arms. Turning at the sound of their entrance, Harry braced Teddy's head and held him out to pass to her.

"Teddy, this is Hermione," he said, introducing her to the tiny baby.

Hermione reached out to take Teddy, and as soon as he was in her arms and she ran her finger down his nose, golden light flew from the tip of her finger, mingling with a golden light streaming from the index finger on Teddy's hand. A third beam entertwined with theirs and her head snapped up to see Remus by her side, shock on his face, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, golden light pouring from him.

She wanted to scream, to ask what in the hell was happening. She had never experienced anything like this. The closest she could recall was the bonding ceremony at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

The golden light was getting brighter, and she looked away from Remus to see that a cage of light was being built around them. There was a strange noise coming from the light, almost like the sound of Sirius' paws when he was Padfoot and ran around the house. Harry had his hand around Andromeda's arm, keeping her outside of the cage. She could see him but not hear him telling her she was safe, but couldn't make her mouth work to reply. Was this like the cage that Harry told her about when his wand first connected with Voldemort?

But no wands were even out, let alone connected.

A gasp from Remus pulled her eyes from Harry. Standing in front of her, looking down on Teddy, was Tonks. She wasn't a ghost, but she wasn't solid. Hermione could see through her, but she wasn't white; she was as colourful as she always was, bubblegum pink hair included.

"Dora?" Remus whispered.

"Wotcher, guys!" Tonks said. Her voice sounded far away. "Hermione, thank you for honouring my wish. I can't stay long, just to say goodbye to our son. He is ours, Hermione. I gave birth, but you will raise him. You're his mum. Not step or bonus, just mum."

Hermione had tears running down her face as she nodded her understanding.

"Thank you, Tonks."

"Tell me you understand, Hermione. Tell me." The urgency in her voice was clear.

"I understand, Tonks. I'm Teddy's mum."

"Thank you, Hermione."

Hermione heard Tonks start to speak to Remus and tuned them out as much as possible. This was the last time Remus would ever hear his wife's voice. Instead she looked down at Teddy, her son. As she watched, his hair turned from turquoise to match the exact shade of her own honey brown before changing back again. She knew he was too young to understand anything, especially the powerful magic they were caged in, but she felt he had accepted her as his mother in his own way.

"I have to leave," Tonks said, interrupting her thoughts. "Hermione, don't forget to teach him to break the rules and not get caught."

Hermione watched as Tonks' image faded from view, her final _I love you all_ still echoing as the golden light started to defuse and the cage blinked out of sight.

A commotion broke her concentration and she watched as Andromeda sank to the floor, sobbing. Harry wrapped her in his arms, rubbing her back and pressing his forehead against the crown of her head. Fleur rushed to comfort Andromeda as well and Hermione turned to Remus.

He had tears pouring down his face, but he was wearing a smile. Leaning down, he kissed Teddy's head before wrapping an arm around Hermione's shoulder and placing a hand under Teddy.

"Our son," he said quietly.

"Our son," Hermione replied.

She suddenly felt a jolt of magic from Teddy and it felt like a weight was placed on her chest. A physical feeling of heaviness resting on her breasts that reminded her how it felt when they seemed to grow overnight during puberty.

* * *

Following Hermione towards the cottage, Remus tried to block the happiness coming from Moony. It was so at odds with the pain he felt over Dora's death.

He watched as Harry introduced Teddy to Hermione and couldn't help but agree with Hermione's earlier assessment that Harry would be a good godfather. As she took his son into her arms, he smiled. Already her love for him was clear on her face. Dora had made an excellent choice in Hermione.

Remus watched in horror as a golden light shot from Hermione's finger, only to be combined with one from Teddy. He moved to snatch his son from her arms, but Moony growled. He could feel the calm from his wolf and followed its direction to stand by his pack. As soon as he was within arms reach of her, a matching beam of gold poured from his own finger and he placed his opposite hand on her shoulder. Moony rumbled with happiness in his head.

He watched as the golden light formed a cage around them, the sound of wolves running emanating from its bars. All remaining fear bled from his body as he felt the wolf magic he had only heard about surround his pack. This was magic in its truest form.

He felt another presence in the cage and gasped as he looked up to see an apparition of Dora before him, as bright and beautiful as she always was. He listened as she talked to Hermione, telling the young witch in no uncertain terms that she was Teddy's mum now. He felt the surge in the cage's magic as Hermione confirmed.

"Remus, my love," Dora addressed him. "You're a good man. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Love yourself as much as you loved me and as much as you love Teddy. Don't run away from love again when it is offered to you. You will find someone who loves you as much as I did. Don't reject them and waste a moment of the happiness you will have together. Promise me, Remus. Promise me you will love yourself."

"I promise, Dora. I love you."

Dora turned to look at Andromeda who was struggling to get away from Harry and enter the cage.

"Mum, you can't enter this place. Know that I love you. I'm with Dad now and he sends you his love. We want you to be happy, Mum. Don't spend your life alone, please."

"I love you, Dora. Always," Andromeda choked out.

"Please, just because I'm gone, don't stop being a family. I have to leave now," Tonks said, her voice starting to fade.

Remus smiled as he heard Dora's instructions to teach Teddy how not to get caught, something Dora was never good at.

"I love you all." Dora's voice faded with her image.

Remus wanted to go to Andromeda when she collapsed, but knew Harry and Fleur would help her. He needed to go to his family, his pack. Wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulder, he reached to support his—no, their—son.

"Our son," he said.

"Our son," Hermione replied.

Moony gave a long series of howls in his head, a song that clearly told the tale of happiness and pack.

He still had his arms around Hermione and Teddy when the fireplace roared green and a thick letter flew towards them. He reached out and grabbed it before it hit the ground.

_Mr R. J. Lupin_

_Mr E. R. Lupin_

_Ms H. J. Granger_

_Shell Cottage_

_Tinworth_

_Cornwall_

_Dear Messrs Lupin and Ms Granger,_

_We have received intelligence that a magical adoption and parent/child bonding took place at Shell Cottage this evening at thirty six minutes past five._

_As you know, all magical adoptions are immediately recorded in the Ministry Hall of Records. Please note that Mr E. R. Lupin's birth certificate has been amended to show his birth and adopted mother. H.J. Granger's records have been amended to list one child._

_We ask that any requests to view or obtain a copy of these records be done in person during regular Ministry hours._

_Congratulations on your adoption!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Nishant Singh_

_MAGICAL LAW OFFICE_

_FAMILY SERVICES DIVISION_

"Merlin," Hermione muttered.

"What did the letter say?" Harry asked.

"Umm." Hermione looked at him and he nodded for her to continue. "It was from the Ministry confirming my magical adoption of Teddy."

"I didn't realize that would happen," Remus said, unsure how she was taking the letter. "I'm sorry that—"

"You stop right there, Remus," Hermione interrupted him. "There is nothing to be sorry about. This is what Tonks wanted, and what I want."

"I guess it is a little late to ask if you're sure."

"It wouldn't have taken if she was unsure, Remus," Andromeda said. She stood and made her way to them. "Welcome to the family, Hermione."

"Thank you, Andromeda."

* * *

The moment was broken when Teddy started to cry. Being an only child with no cousins, Hermione had no experience with babies. Unless you counted the hour she watched a baby sleep in its buggy at her parent's dental practice as its mum had a cavity filled. She felt a sharp pain in her breast and wanted to help him, but didn't know what to do. Luckily, Andromeda came to her rescue.

"He is probably hungry. It is time for his feeding."

"Does the magical world have formula?" Hermione had no idea.

"They do," Andromeda answered. "But Dora had been pumping, hoping to have milk for him after she returned to work. We still have a few bottles left before he will switch to formula."

Hermione watched as Andromeda summoned a bottle from a bag on the floor. She sat next to her as she tried to get Teddy to take the nipple of the bottle, but he was thrashing his head. His cries increased the more Andromeda tried to feed him.

"What is wrong, my sweet boy?" Andromeda asked.

"Umm, Hermione," Harry said over Teddy's cries. "Your shirt is getting wet."

Hermione looked down and couldn't figure out where the two round wet spots on her shirt had come from. She hadn't even felt it before Harry said something. Had Teddy peed on her?

No, his trousers were dry, and Andromeda wasn't wet.

"Oh!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Fleur, can you take Teddy for a second?"

Fleur picked Teddy up and placed her knuckle into his mouth. He started sucking, his cries lessening momentarily.

"Hermione, I want to check something on you, may I do a medical scan?" Andromeda asked her as she picked up her wand.

"Of course, am I okay?"

She watched as Andromeda ran her wand over her and read the diagnostic runes that flashed. Evidently she had medical training.

"You're fine. It is just as I thought," Andromeda said before canceling the spell. "You're lactating."

"I'm what?"

Hermione heard Remus and Harry echo her question.

"It is not uncommon for women that magically adopt newborns to produce milk," Andromeda told her. "I have seen it many times when I worked in Labour and Delivery at St. Mungo's."

"So she is supposed to breastfeed Teddy?" Remus asked.

"Are you okay with that Remus?" Hermione wasn't sure if _she_ was okay with it, but it was a moot point if Remus said no.

"Of course I am. Our child needs to eat, and I think breast milk is the best thing for him. I'm just trying to figure out what is going on; it is a little overwhelming."

"Tell me about it," Hermione muttered. She turned to Andromeda. "Can you help me? I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I can. Men, please leave the room. I'll let you know when you can come back in."

"Why do we have to leave?" Harry asked.

"Because, Harry," Fleur said, "Hermione will have to pull her breast out to feed him. At least the first few times. Is that something you want to watch?"

"We're going," Remus said, pulling a slightly green-looking Harry with him.

"Thank you, Fleur," Hermione said once they were gone. "I know there is nothing wrong with breastfeeding, but I didn't fancy Harry watching as I tried it the first time. I have a feeling my boobs will be hanging out."

"I remember when my cousin had her first child. The first week, she had to take her breast all the way out before latching her daughter on. It was fine around us girls, but the men were uncomfortable."

"Did it get easier?"

" _Oui_. Now she can feed in front of people and they just think she is holding her baby."

"So, what do I do?" she asked, looking from Fleur to Andromeda.

* * *

"Merlin's saggy bollocks!" Harry said as they walked into the kitchen.

"It is a lot to take in, isn't it?" Remus said more than asked.

"I don't know how you're staying so calm."

"Moony, my inner wolf, is helping a lot."

Moony had been overjoyed when Hermione's breasts started producing milk. To him, that was a sure sign that nature and magic had accepted her as his pup's mum, just like he had. To him, Hermione was the mum, and there was nothing wrong with a mum feeding her pup.

"He's okay with what happened? The adoption?" Harry asked.

"It is different for wolves than it is for humans. If the mother died, her pups would instantly be taken care of by another female. She would accept them as her children, and within days, she wouldn't be able to tell which pups were her biological ones and which one was the adopted one."

"I thought you were only a wolf during the full moon?"

"Moony is always inside of me. During the full moon, if I don't take Wolfsbane, he takes control."

"You know Hermione is going to want to study you and Moony, don't you?" Harry asked with a laugh.

"I'm sure she will have _Moony: The Wolf Within_ written within a year," Remus said, joining in with Harry's laughter.

"Where will you two live?"

"I'm not sure. I have a place, but it's small—only two rooms. And it doesn't have a library, so I'm sure Hermione will hate it."

"I don't know, Hermione has a bag with an extension charm on it. She can just carry her library with her. But, Hermione talked a little bit about going to Grimmauld and seeing if Bill can remove Moody's jinxes. You two are welcome to live with me."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said as she walked in, Teddy asleep on her shoulder. "It would be nice to have a library that has actual shelves and chairs. Remus, what are you thinking?"

"Let me ask you two something. You two have depended on each other and Ron for the last year, living on the run. Are you able to live apart?" He hurried on when he saw the hurt look in their eyes. "I'm not judging. Merlin only knows what you went through."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a look before she answered.

"I do have anxiety if I don't know where Harry is, especially at night. I had to sleep in their dorm this morning because I couldn't handle not being around him."

"This morning," Harry began, "I think I could have slept through anything, but I feel the same way."

"What about Ron?" Remus asked.

"That is a story for another time," Hermione said. "It is only Harry that causes the anxiety for me. But, we will have to live apart sooner or later."

"I went to Grimmauld after you left there. The Death Eaters couldn't get past the front door. It had hex marks on it, but nothing inside was touched," Remus said. "I can take down the jinxes, and once we clean it up, we can stay there for a while."

"And where will we stay until then?" Harry asked "The Burrow?"

"Remus?" Andromeda asked as she walked into the kitchen. "I'm heading back to my house. All of you are welcome to stay with me for a few days. Teddy already has all of his things there."

"Are you sure you have enough room?" Hermione asked.

"As long as you and Harry don't mind sharing a room."

"We don't mind. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Teddy! Nothing like a spontaneous magical bonding to celebrate Friday.
> 
> Thank you for all your reviews! I love reading them and they make my day! Let me know what you thought and find me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione flopped down onto the bed in Andromeda's guest room and let out a sigh. She was waiting for Harry to finish in the shower so she could get ready for bed. After Remus and Teddy had left to go back to the Tonks' place, Fleur, Harry, and Hermione Apparated to the Burrow.

Although they had only stayed two hours, it had felt a lot longer while they were there. Molly was devastated over the loss of Fred and was taking it out on the house, cleaning it with a gusto Hermione had never seen before and ignoring everyone. Harry and Ginny had used Molly's mania to escape to her room without notice and had stayed there for an hour. When they reappeared, they had matching grins, dishevelled hair, and were holding hands. Hermione walked over and smoothed their hair out before any of the other Weasleys noticed.

She was glad to see her two friends had rekindled their relationship. Hermione knew firsthand how much Harry loved Ginny. She had seen him, night after night, watching her name on the Marauders' Map, making sure she was still alive. And she had spent countless hours with Ginny listening to her gush about Harry. To others, it might seem like Ginny was a hero-worshipping girl, but Hermione knew better. The crush may have started out that way, but over the years, Ginny fell for _Harry_ , not The Chosen One.

Ginny had been sad when they told her they were staying at the Tonks' because she had hoped they would be staying at the Burrow. But she understood and teased Hermione about trying to keep her hands off Harry while they shared a room and probably a bed. She had promised to come to visit as soon as they were settled into Grimmauld and made Hermione swear that she could hold Teddy. Hermione was pleased that Ginny knew there was nothing between her and Harry and wasn't threatened by their friendship.

Ron had not been happy that they weren't staying at the Burrow. Hermione knew Harry wouldn't want Ron knowing about his anxiety when she wasn't around, so she said Harry was staying there because she needed him. While he accepted that, he couldn't understand why she needed to stay with Remus and Teddy.

" _I know Tonks asked you to help Remus, Hermione," Ron said. "But I don't think you need to live with him. She probably just wanted you to babysit once in a while during the full moon or when he needs to get laid."_

_Hermione hadn't told Ron, or any of the Weasleys, what had happened at Shell Cottage. It wasn't a secret, but it felt too personal. She told Ginny that she had magically adopted Teddy, but none of the specifics. She was sure Harry would share the rest with her and Fleur would tell Bill._

" _That is not what she wanted, Ronald," Hermione said, too tired to deal with his mood right now._

" _You always take things too seriously, 'Mione. I'm sure you're overthinking it. You two should be staying here."_

" _Do not call me 'Mione. And I'm not overthinking it. Tonks asked me to raise Teddy, to be his mum. Those were her words to me, Ronald. And in order to do that, I need to be with him."_

" _You're mental. She would never ask you to do that. You got it wrong."_

" _Oh fuck," Harry muttered under his breath as Hermione swelled with indignation._

" _How dare you! I know what she said to me," Hermione growled each word at him. "And so does Remus. I have adopted Teddy. He is my son."_

" _Sure you did," he sneered and rolled his eyes. "No man will ever want you if you plan on raising him. You'll be a spinster."_

" _What?" she screeched. "Is that what you think?"_

_She wanted to slap him across the face, just like she had done to Draco Malfoy all those years ago. She had to keep chanting to herself that he was only acting like this because he was grieving over Fred's death and was taking it out on her._

" _I know I wouldn't be with a woman who already had a kid, so you better think about that before you leave to go play Mummy."_

" _You're out of order, Ron," Harry said._

" _I guess you and I will never be together. Because I won't be 'playing Mummy'. I adopted him, as I already told you. Teddy is my_ son _. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's already done and, even if there was a way to change it, I wouldn't."_

" _You need to leave my house. You aren't welcome here anymore," he said with a look of hatred in his eyes. "And Harry, as long as you're friends with that bitch, you're not welcome here either."_

_She watched as Harry went for his wand to hex Ron, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. Nodding towards the door, they left his room. They ran into Ginny in the kitchen and when she asked why they were leaving, Harry gave her a brief summary of what Ron had said. Hermione almost felt bad for Ron when she saw the fire in Ginny's eyes as she marched towards the stairs to his room._

"The shower's free," Harry said as he walked into the room, hair still wet. "Remus said Teddy is due for a feeding in thirty minutes."

"Thanks, Harry."

Hermione grabbed the stack of clothes she was going to wear after the shower and headed towards the bathroom. Andromeda had given her and Harry some of Tonks' and Ted's clothes to wear until they could go out and buy some of their own the next day. Because Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, Andromeda had become very skilled in alteration spells and Hermione could tell from looking at the shirt, vest, and pyjama pants that they would be a perfect fit.

Andromeda had shown her something called the two-shirt method of breastfeeding, and she was hoping it would be as easy as it sounded while still giving her privacy. Luckily, Teddy was already an expert at latching on and feeding, so unlike other new mothers, she didn't have to deal with that frustration. She had been afraid he would have trouble with the difference between herself and Tonks, but Remus told her the bonding ceremony probably made the transition easy for Teddy.

Finishing up in the shower, she made her way to Remus and Teddy's room and knocked softly on the door. She opened it at Remus' quiet 'come in' and smiled at the sight before her. Remus was laying on the bed, shirtless, and Teddy, wearing nothing but a nappy was laying on his chest.

* * *

"Well, don't you two men look sweet?"

"We're just enjoying our nightly bonding time," Remus said as he sat up. "Well, I should leave so you can feed him."

"You can stay if you want," she said as she took Teddy from him and moved to sit in the chair in the corner. "Hello, sweet boy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Andromeda said if he is smacking his lips, like he is now, he should latch on easily. It would be harder if he was screaming like last time."

"Good." He turned around to give her privacy. "I know Dora had a few problems getting him to latch on the first couple of days, but then it became easier. Andi was a huge help."

"She is wonderful. Okay, you can turn around now. Is she a healer?"

"She is. She worked at St. Mungo's while Dora was at Hogwarts, but she moved into private healing just before the war. She went into hiding after the Ministry fell and taught a lot of the Order members, like Fleur, healing spells."

Remus looked at Hermione; she was fully covered, the opposite of how Dora fed, and Moony rumbled at the sight before him. It was the same feeling he had when he would watch Dora feed him. Like he was happy that his pup was getting the best food around.

"Remus, you're staring at me," Hermione said, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, it's just that... Moony is happy," he told her.

"Moony?" The confusion was clear on her face. "I thought _you_ were Moony."

"I'm not sure how to explain it, but I have an inner wolf, Moony. He doesn't think like a human, and mostly communicates through noises, not words. He is always there inside my head."

"That is fascinating. I would love to learn more," she paused at his bark of laughter. "Why are you laughing?"

"Harry said you would want to study this," Remus replied, happy to hear her chuckle.

"Well, there aren't a lot of books on what werewolves are actually like. Most of them are filled with prejudice and make you all out to be like Greyback. You should think about writing a book."

"No one would read it. People will only believe what's already out there."

"I think you're wrong, Remus. Most people who had you as a professor had never met a werewolf before and you changed their minds. Plus, now you're a war hero."

"I don't know."

"Just think about it. I'm happy to help any way I can, and I know Harry would promote it." Hermione looked down at Teddy and smiled. "Time to switch sides, little man."

Remus turned his back again, allowing her time to burp him and switch him to the other breast. He smiled when Teddy let out a small burp.

"You're a natural at this, Hermione."

"I don't think it's me. Oh damn, hold on. He popped off. No, Teddy, that goes in your mouth, not your eye. There we go. Sorry, you can turn around now."

Remus turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Little bit of trouble?"

"Ha ha. He is sleepy so he wasn't sucking at first and I fell out. We're all good now, though."

"What were you saying before? About how you don't think it's you that's the natural?"

"Oh. Well, after the bonding, when we were standing together, I felt a jolt of magic from Teddy. I didn't know what it was, but Andromeda thinks our bond did something to make my milk come in."

"You're aware that we, werewolves, have our own magic, right? It takes more power for a spell to affect us, things like that. The cage that was around us was werewolf magic. I could hear the sounds of wolves running coming from the bars."

"Is that what the sound was? I thought it sounded like Padfoot running through the house."

"I have never seen anything like that before, but I know without a doubt that was wolf magic bringing us together as Teddy's parents." He paused as a sob threatened to escape this throat. "All three of his parents."

"It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. I think Teddy must have wolf magic inside of him, even though he isn't a werewolf. That is why I think this is easy for me. I think his magic is helping me."

They sat in silence for a bit, the only sound Teddy's loud breathing and suckling until that too ended.

"He is done," Hermione said. "Can you burp him?"

Remus reached out and took the cloth off her shoulder, placing it on his own before taking Teddy from her. He held him against his chest and rubbed and patted his back until a small burp sounded. Suddenly he felt a warm liquid running down his back.

"Did he just puke on me?" Remus asked, turning his back to Hermione.

"He just spit up a little. You didn't have the cloth up far enough."

He shivered as he felt a vanishing and mild cleaning spell on his skin and the warm wetness was suddenly gone.

"I'll let you two get to sleep," Hermione said, turning towards the door. "Come wake me up when he is ready to eat again. And in the morning, you can teach me how to change a nappy."

"With pleasure."

Remus thought changing nappies was the worst part about having a child, even if magic meant he could just vanish the mess and clean Teddy with a few spells. There were still a few moments when the smell was overpowering, especially to his oversensitive werewolf nose, and Remus thanked every deity in existence that he didn't have to change nappies the Muggle way.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!!! All the thanks to my ABCs BreathOfThePhoenix, PotionChemist, and LuxLouise!!! Let me know what you thought!


	7. Chapter 7

The day after they started staying at the Tonks' house, Harry, Remus, Andromeda, along with Bill, had gone over to Grimmauld Place to remove the hexes in the entryway while Hermione and Teddy stayed home. Remus was thankful Moody had trusted him enough to tell him which hexes had been used; it didn't take too long to remove them. After walking through the house, Andromeda had given Harry the name of a magical house cleaning and restoration company he should hire.

After the second day of cleaning by the four best cleaners the company had, Hermione and Remus left Teddy in Andromeda's care and popped over to see the progress made. The two of them wouldn't tell Remus why, but Harry had refused to return to the Burrow. Instead, he had sent an owl to Ginny, and she was going to meet them at Grimmauld Place with lunch. Remus knew Hermione was looking forward to seeing her best female friend again.

Opening the door as quietly as possible to avoid awakening the portrait of Sirius' mum, they slipped inside. Hermione stopped short, causing Remus to collide with her back.

"Oof," Hermione huffed out.

"Sorry, but you stopped," Remus whispered to her, trying to stay quiet.

She nodded her head towards the far end of the hall and he finally saw what had caused her to stop. Harry and Ginny were attached at the mouth, her basket of food on the ground and her legs wrapped around his waist as he pinned her to the wall, grinding his hips into her.

"Merlin," Remus muttered under his breath. "He is just like James."

He watched as Hermione pulled out her wand and sent a silent stinging hex towards them, hitting Harry right in the arse.

"Ouch!" Harry yelped, setting Ginny down to rub the spot the hex had hit him.

" _Scum! Half-breeds! Mudblood! Begone from the home of my fathers!"_

Remus raised his wand and with a loud bang, the curtains hanging in front of the deranged woman snapped shut.

"We can't live here with her screaming all the time. Anytime he cries, Teddy will wake her up," Harry said as he and Ginny walked towards them. "There has to be a way to get rid of her."

"Dumbledore couldn't get her down, so I don't think there is." Ginny said. "He tried all kinds of magic."

"Wait," Hermione said, turning to Remus. "Did you guys ever try paint thinner?"

"I don't think so." Remus thought back to the year he had lived here with Sirius. "I don't remember it if they did. Do you think it would work?"

"What's paint thinner?" Ginny asked.

Sometimes Remus forgot that the Weasleys were pureblood and wouldn't know what a simple thing like paint thinner was. They were some of the only purebloods he knew whose children dressed like Muggles when they weren't at Hogwarts, but they didn't know much about the Muggle world in general. Remus was half-blood, but his mum had made sure he was able to survive in either world from the time he was little. Plus, Muggles didn't know werewolves were real so it was easier for him to live around them.

"It is a chemical. Like a potion," he clarified at her confused look. "It dissolves the paint."

"Do you really think it will work?" Ginny asked looking between them.

"Why didn't we ever think of that before?" Harry asked, amazement clear in his voice.

"Probably because we think magic can do anything," Hermione said. "I'm going to pop over to Homebase and buy a can. I'll be right back."

Before anyone could say anything, Hermione was out the door and they heard the sound of her Disapparation.

"What's Homebase?" Ginny asked.

"It's a hardware shop," Harry said then continued at her blank look. "They sell things Muggles use to make improvements on their house. Paint, tools, things like that."

"Makes sense," Ginny said. "I guess they can't just charm the walls with different colours."

"So," Remus said, looking between them, "you two are back together then?"

"Yeah," Harry said, his face starting to pinken. "Sorry about what you walked in on."

"It's fine," Remus told him. "I walked in on your parents in that same situation more than once."

"That is sweet," Ginny said. "And slightly gross."

"I'm surprised Molly allowed you to come over here on your own, Ginny. I would have thought she wouldn't want any of you out of her sight."

He wanted to tell her how sorry he was about Fred and what a loss it was that he had died. He didn't because Hermione had told him how Harry woke up and already knew about Dora's request about Teddy. He wasn't sure what exactly the magic had corrected and he didn't want to apologise to her again if he had already done so at Hogwarts. He loved the twins — they reminded him of his own Hogwarts days — and was heartbroken for George's loss.

"She doesn't know I'm here. Dad does. Mom is… well, she isn't handling Fred's death very well. The funeral is tomorrow, and she has been cooking for it for it non-stop for the last three days."

The next day, there was to be a funeral on the Hogwarts grounds to honour all the fallen. After that, members of the Order were going to the Burrow for a wake for Fred, Dora, and Severus. Andromeda had already told him that Molly was refusing help from anyone. Remus knew everyone handled grief differently, but he was worried about Molly from the things he had heard from his friends.

"She'll come around, Ginny," he told her. "It just takes time."

"How are you holding up, Remus?" Ginny asked him.

"As well as can be expected. Taking care of Teddy helps."

Before either of them could respond a pop sounded outside and Hermione was coming through the door. She had a bag with a couple of cans and a paintbrush hanging from her wrist.

"Well, let's see if we can shut her up," Hermione said as she opened the bag. "Want to do the honours, Harry?"

Hermione opened one of the cans and they all wrinkled their noses at the pungent odour. Handing Harry the paintbrush, he dipped it in the liquid, and she waved her wand to open the curtains. Walburga started screaming and they all screwed up their eyes at the noise. Not wasting any time, Harry pulled the brush from the can and swiped it across her nose and mouth, the excess liquid dripping down.

Within moments the paint on the tip of her nose started to slide down towards her mouth. Hermione quickly conjured a large piece of plastic onto the floor below the painting to protect the hardwood. Mrs Black was in the middle of calling Harry a ' _no good son of a Mudblood whore'_ when the noise cut off. Her mouth was gone but some of the red of her lipstick was still visible. The four of them cheered as her eyes bulged and her painted hands reached for the mouth that was no longer there.

"Hermione," Remus said, "if Sirius were still alive, he would be kissing you silly right now."

"Too bad he's gone," Ginny muttered. "Sirius was sexy. I bet Hermione would have liked that."

Hermione giggled as Harry and Remus whipped their heads to look at Ginny. She just shrugged and said it wasn't her fault she knew Hermione liked older men. Hermione turned bright red and ignored them while reading the warning label on the can.

"Remus," Harry said, laughing hard, "you do the rest. Sirius would have wanted it."

Grabbing the brush, Remus dipped it in the paint thinner and painted it over the entire canvas. He felt a rush of happiness as he destroyed the likeness of the woman that had abused his best friend. He only wished that they had thought of this while Sirius was alive. He knew that would have been the best gift anyone could have given Sirius—a way to silence his mother.

After Remus finished, he vanished the mess they had made, leaving behind a blank canvas in an ornate frame on the wall. Harry said he was going to leave it blank as a way to remember Sirius. They made their way to the basement kitchen to eat the food Ginny had brought. Halfway through the meal, Remus finally realised that Ron wasn't with them.

"Why isn't Ron here?" he asked.

Ginny, Harry, and Hermione shared a look before Hermione answered.

"He's not dealing with the loss of Fred very well and would rather not be around me and Harry at this time."

"That's a nice way of saying my brother is being a complete arse," Ginny said. "Ron thinks Hermione misunderstood Tonks and is forcing her help onto you and Teddy."

"Didn't you explain to him what she said and that you have already adopted Teddy?" Remus asked Hermione.

"I tried," Hermione answered. "He didn't want to hear it."

"He said some pretty rude things to her and kicked her out of the Burrow," Harry told him. "He told me that as long as I'm friends with Hermione I'm not welcome to come back."

Remus just stared at Harry. He wasn't sure what to say. Even if Ron was grieving, how could he push away his two best friends? The three of them had been through hell together and not broken apart. How could something like helping a friend raise their child cause such a rift?"

"When I confronted him after you guys left," Ginny interrupted his thoughts, "he was talking nonsense. He said something about how even after you kissed him, Hermione, you were choosing to stay with another man, once again forcing him to leave you. Do you know what he was talking about? And when did you and Ron kiss?"

"During the battle. He had said something about making sure we saved the house-elves and I was a little overwhelmed and kissed him."

"More like snogged his brains out as the walls were crumbling around us," Harry muttered with a smirk.

"But," Hermione continued, pausing only to send a heated glare at Harry, "when we were standing with your family in the Great Hall… around Fred… He told me he wasn't able to commit right now."

"Hmm. My brother was surprisingly mature," Ginny said. "But what about the part about you choosing another man?"

Remus watched as Harry and Hermione looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Finally, Hermione nodded her head for Harry to answer the question.

He told them in detail about the Horcrux hunt and how the locket influenced their moods, and the lack of food making it worse. He held his jaw tight as he spoke about the fight they had and how Ron had abandoned them, but not before begging Hermione to leave with him. Then he told of destroying the locket and what Voldemort's soul had done to torture Ron. Hermione gasped at that part and Remus assumed Harry hadn't told her this part before.

"So, Ron thought that Hermione was choosing me over him," Harry said.

The room was silent after he finished, but the noise in Remus' head was deafening. Moony was pissed. The wolf knew nothing about souls and Horcruxes, but he knew Ron had abandoned a member of his pack, leaving Hermione in danger. Even if Hermione wasn't _pack_ at the time of Ron's betrayal, she was now. Putting a member of Moony's pack into danger was an unforgivable offence. He was snarling and growling, wanting to rip Ron's throat out.

"I'm sorry," Ginny finally said quietly, "but are you telling me that my brother left you two while you were in hiding? Am I hearing you correctly?"

Harry and Hermione nodded.

"That no good, cowardly, _arsehole!_ " she snapped. Remus and Moony agreed with her. No matter how rough things got, you don't abandon your friends. "Do my parents know?"

"No," Hermione said. "And you're not to tell them, Ginny. Ron made a mistake, but he came back."

"I don't care that he came back, Hermione. He left you two! We were all fighting for our lives, you were starving. And he left you!"

"It was a hard time. And it just became too much for him. Being that close to a piece of Voldemort's soul—"

"Don't you dare talk to me about how hard it is to be around a piece of Voldemort's soul," Ginny cut her off. "I was _fucking possessed_ for nine months by that vile man! You shouldn't be defending Ron."

"Ginny is right, Hermione," Remus cut in. "There is no excuse. He wasn't the only one in that tent that was hungry, scared, and had a Horcrux around their neck. You didn't leave."

"But—"

"No. I'm glad he came back, but what he did was not okay." Remus thought for a second before continuing, glancing between Harry and Hermione. "Is that what you meant when you said it was different with Ron? Why you don't have anxiety when he isn't around like you two are without each other?"

"Yes," Harry answered. "I forgave Ron as soon as he came back. But it is different with him than it is with Hermione. It was just the two of us for over two months."

"That is why I was fine when he said he didn't want to be together," Hermione said. "I don't think I can trust him yet."

"I don't blame you," Remus said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Let me know what you thought!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you missed it, I added a drabble that goes between this chapter and the last. It doesn't change the story at all, but it's pretty funny. It's not in this fic, but added to the series.

Hermione adjusted her shirt as she put Teddy on her shoulder and rubbed his back to burp him. She was in a small room off the Great Hall; she had ducked into it when Teddy started to fuss at the end of the funeral service. She had fed him before leaving home, hoping he would sleep through the funeral, but it had lasted over two hours. Luckily she was able to leave before he started crying.

"Hermione?"

She turned at the sound of her name. Molly had just entered the room so the service must have ended.

"Hi, Molly."

"Ginny told me about Dora. And you and Teddy," Molly said, looking at the bundle Hermione was holding. "I'm sorry I haven't come over to help you.. It's just—"

"I understand." Hermione walked towards her. There was no way Hermione was even remotely upset with Molly. She had just lost her son. "We've been staying with Andi and she's been helping me and Remus. Would you like to meet Teddy?"

"May I hold him?"

"Of course you can," she said gently, placing Teddy in her arms.

Hermione watched as Molly cooed over him and she took the time to look Molly over. It was the first time she had really seen her since Bill's wedding in August. She was much thinner, her once plump body had the look of someone who had lost the weight rapidly. Her hair was still a vivid red, but it was streaked with white. Laugh lines still surrounded her eyes, but they were now joined with worry lines around her lips.

She and Molly hadn't always gotten along — her fourth year was proof of that — but watching Molly hold Teddy, Hermione hoped that would change. The charm she had used on her parents was not reversible and she knew that she would need someone to help her like her own mother would have. Andi was great and she knew they would grow closer, but as she watched Molly hold the baby, Hermione knew she wanted Molly to be like a grandmother to him. Plus, no one had more experience raising a prankster than Molly, and Hermione was convinced Teddy would be as bad as his parents in a few years' time.

Hermione turned at the sound of the door opening and smiled at Remus as he walked in. His eyes focused on Molly and a slight look of sympathy crossed his face before he turned back to Hermione.

"Did he calm down easily?" he asked.

"He was just hungry," she told him.

"Teddy is a beautiful baby, Remus," Molly said.

"Thank you, Molly. He is a great baby; we are very lucky."

"Ginny said you performed a magical adoption?" she asked, looking between the two of them. "So he is your child now, too, Hermione?"

"Yes," Remus answered. "It was a very special moment for us."

"I—" Molly choked on her words for a moment before clearing her throat. "I'm sorry about Dora, Remus. But I'm happy that Teddy still has you, and that he has Hermione." She turned to look at Hermione. "You'll be an excellent mother. If there is anything you ever need, I'm just a fire call away."

"Thank you," Hermione replied. "I'm sure I'll take you up on that offer many times."

"Please do," she said. "Now, I need to get back to the Burrow and get everything set up for the wake. I'll see you both there?"

At their nods, she handed Teddy back to Hermione and left.

* * *

It was a sunny day, and the marquee tent they had used for Bill and Fleur's wedding was set up in the garden of the Burrow. Hermione sat in the corner, Teddy sleeping on her chest in a sling that had been a gift from Fleur.

"Hey, Mi, I brought you some punch," Ginny said as she approached and handed Hermione a cup before sitting next to her.

"Thanks. How are you holding up, Gin?"

"The funeral was hard, but I'm doing okay. I keep thinking Fred is still alive; that he'll walk over and put a prank in my drink or something. Every time I remember that he's not, it hurts again." She turned to look at Hermione. "Do you think the pain will ever go away?"

"No," she answered honestly. "I think you learn, a little bit each day, to live with the pain. And soon the pain becomes a part of you. It is such a part of you, that you forget it wasn't always there."

Ginny didn't reply and they sat in silence, watching the crowd around them. Hermione watched as Remus and George hugged, both of them crying before George said something that made both of them start laughing. She watched Molly obsessively make sure the food was perfect. Bill and Charlie were a few feet away and she could hear them laughing as they told Lee Jordan and Oliver Wood a story about how Fred and George had convinced a nine-year-old Ron that he was actually a girl and that his penis was just an odd shaped vagina for a whole month.

"Merlin," Ginny laughed.

"Your brothers sure are something, Ginny," Hermione laughed with her.

"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall said as they moved to sit across from them.

"Hello, Profe—" Hermione stumbled. "Headmistress McGonagall."

"It is nice to see you two looking well," McGonagall said. "And we battled side by side. I think you can call me Minerva."

"How are you, Minnie?" Charlie called.

"Don't think I won't give you detention, Charles," she said brusquely.

"I wish you would," he said with a wink. "Still got that paddle?"

"That boy!" Minerva blushed as everyone around them laughed. "I was wondering if you had given any thought to your future, Hermione."

"Not really," she answered.

"I wanted to let you know that Kingsley and I have talked. We are going to let anyone from your class who wants to return to complete their final year in September. I hope you will consider continuing your education."

"Oh," Hermione said. "I would love to, but I'll be too busy with Teddy to attend."

"Teddy?" McGonagall asked, confusion clear on her face.

"I guess you haven't heard. Before Tonks died, she asked me to raise Teddy Lupin with Remus. I adopted him." She gestured to the sleeping bundle attached to her chest.

"I had not heard. Congratulations." She paused as Teddy stirred and Hermione readjusted him. "Just so you know, if you decide to come back, we can work something out so Teddy is cared for."

"Thank you, I'll have to talk to Remus."

"I hope you can," Ginny said. "It would be fun to be back at Hogwarts together."

"Talk to Remus and get back to me," Minerva said as she stood and took her leave.

"Kingsley talked to Harry," Ginny said.

"Oh yeah?" Hermione asked.

"He was sworn in as Minister last night. The Wizenagmot voted him in for two years, then they will re-evaluate. I know you haven't seen him yet, but he offered Harry, Ron, Neville, and you jobs as Aurors. You won't have to finish your NEWTs."

"Really? What did the boys say?"

Hermione was shocked. It was hard work to become an Auror and required years of training after leaving Hogwarts. Maybe Kingsley meant they were accepted into the training program? While she had no doubts about the boys ability to fight dark wizards, she wasn't comfortable with them going out there without proper training.

"They all said yes right away," Ginny said. "Do you think you'll do it?"

"No," she answered firmly. "I have done enough fighting for one lifetime. I would really like to return to Hogwarts and have a quiet year. But I don't think that is possible with Teddy."

* * *

Hermione was in Remus' room feeding Teddy when he walked in, hair still wet from his shower. After the funeral and wake, they had come back to Andi's to pack up their things. They were going to move into Grimmauld Place tomorrow. He wasn't wearing a shirt and Hermione ducked her head to hide the blush that bloomed on her face as she took in his body. Remus sure was fit.

"Can we talk?" Remus asked.

"What's on your mind?"

"Minerva spoke to me," he said. "She said she offered to let you finish your schooling next year."

"She did," Hermione said. "But I don't think I'll go. There is no way I can attend classes and raise Teddy with you. He still needs feeding every few hours. I can't do that and attend classes."

Hermione really wanted to go back to school and finish her formal education. Kingsley had come to talk to her and, when she declined his invitation to join the Aurors, he had offered her any job she wanted in the Ministry and said they were happy to award her ceremonial N.E.W.T.s for all the courses she had attended in sixth year. Hermione had asked for time to think about it.

"He'll be five months by then and won't eat so often. And well…" Remus trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "She offered me the Defence position. I told her we needed to talk about it."

Remus being offered a job at Hogwarts was not something Hermione had expected. He was the best Defence professor that they'd had, and with him at the castle, things with Teddy might not be too hard. Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Remus continued.

"But if I take it, I would need to live at the castle. There are staff rooms we would live in that have multiple bedrooms for when professors with families live there. The house-elves will watch Teddy while we are in classes. And you could pump, or we can switch to formula so they can feed him when you're busy."

* * *

Remus really wanted the job and was grateful Minierva had offered it to him. He had been terrified when he thought about how he would support Teddy. He knew Hermione would work, but he wasn't going to take her money. She might be Teddy's mum, but she wasn't his wife and shouldn't have to support him. And Godric knew he wasn't able to do it. Most people in the magical world wouldn't hire him because he was a werewolf, and he had a hard time keeping Muggle jobs because he had to miss so much time to recover from the full moons. Last time he had worked at Hogwarts, he had been able to save up all his earnings and supplement his income for two years.

"And are you, and Moony, okay with letting house-elves raise our child?" Hermione asked. "You know how I feel about elf enslavement."

"I want what's best for Teddy. And having his father employed and his mother completing her education is what is best for him. There are a number of free elves that work at Hogwarts, and I'm happy to pay one or two of them from my salary."

"So, I could really go back?" Hermione asked.

It was clear from her face that she had wanted to finish her formal education. Remus assumed she hadn't talked to him about it yet because she didn't want to upset him or to make him think she didn't want to be with Teddy.

"You can really go back. It might be hard trying to raise our son and do your school work, but if anyone can do it, you can."

"I think it will be easier than having someone try to kill me or my best friend all year," Hermione said with a grin.

Remus smiled at her. He couldn't imagine what it was like to go to Hogwarts and experience the things that Hermione and Harry had. His own time had been full of pranks, running around with his friends, watching James make an arse of himself for Lily, Sirius chasing anything that moved, and tormenting Snape. They were able to be kids and enjoy not having responsibilities. Yes, there had been a war brewing, but within the walls of Hogwarts, things were still safe. Nothing bad could touch them while they were at school.

Hermione never got to have that kind of experience. From her first year on, she was fighting to stay alive one way or another. Fighting trolls, being petrified, his own failed attack on her as a werewolf, just to name a few. The girl deserved a nice, quiet year at school. Being a mum was going to make it harder, but if anyone could do it, Hermione could. And Remus knew the house-elves would be fighting over who got to help with Teddy. Kreacher was the only elf he had ever met that hated children. And after the demon Sirius had been, who could blame him?

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday and as always, thank you for reading!! Let me know what you thought!!! 


	9. Chapter 9

The next few months seemed to fly by. While still living at Grimmauld Place, Hermione and Remus set up their rooms at Hogwarts. They had been hired by the Ministry to help restore the castle before the new school year started. They rarely slept at the castle, normally choosing to Floo home to Grimmauld Place, but occasionally they would stay, not wanting to risk waking Teddy. The sling Fleur had given them was a lifesaver and made it easy for either Hermione or Remus to hold him while they worked.

The occasional nights away were helpful for Hermione and Harry; they were starting to overcome their anxiety when they were apart. Harry was kept busy at the Auror academy with Ron and Neville and had confessed that he was often so exhausted he forgot to be worried. Hermione understood. Most nights, after working on the castle, she was too tired to even read and collapsed into bed after feeding Teddy.

When she first decided to go back to Hogwarts, Hermione was concerned about what the Board of Directors and other students would say when they found out she was raising Teddy and living with Remus. McGonagall had assured her that, while it wasn't common, there was a precedent for professors married to students to live together.

Even though that didn't strictly apply to Hermione and Remus, she had talked to the Board, and no one had a problem with the living arrangements. Everyone understood that after a war, things that would have been improper before needed to be looked at in a different light. And Minerva had told them that no one wanted to be the one to say that a woman shouldn't have to choose between getting an education and raising her child.

McGonagall knew some students would talk about it being improper, but since N.E.W.T.s were administered by the Ministry and not Hogwarts teachers, Remus couldn't fix her grade for her. N.E.W.T. level students weren't even graded — the classes were designed to prepare them for life after Hogwarts. Hermione had dealt with rumours about her dating life for years, so someone thinking she was dating Remus wouldn't be the worst she'd heard.

Knowing how close Harry and Hermione were, and their need to be in contact, McGonagall had not only made sure the fireplace in their rooms was connected to the Floo at Grimmauld Place, but had also assigned Remus and Hermione quarters that had four rooms so Harry could stay with them if needed. She didn't say anything outright, but Hermione suspected McGonagall had also done this so Harry and Ginny could spend time together without the need for Ginny to sneak out of Hogwarts.

* * *

Hermione thought back to the end of May when they had gone to interview house-elves to see who would be the best to take care of Teddy once school started again. Harry had offered Kreacher but Remus said he wasn't comfortable leaving him alone with Teddy. Hermione silently agreed. While Kreacher was a lot better than he had been before they gave him the locket, he was still prone to mumbling under his breath. And neither parent wanted the foul things he said to be their child's first words. Instead, Kreacher returned to Grimmauld Place and kept house for them while they were busy working.

They had ended up hiring Winky, Mr Crouch's former elf, to help them.

_Hermione and Remus walked into the Hogwarts kitchens and all the house-elves stopped to look at them before an old elf wearing a 'Head Elf' badge approached them._

" _Is that being Teddy? We heard Headmistress saying there was being baby here now."_

_Remus leaned down and showed Teddy to the old elf. She looked at him as his hair changed from ginger to yellow before looking back to Remus and Hermione with a frown._

" _He is being a Changer. We's have a Changer years before; she always being knocking things over. Yous be keeping him out of my kitchen," she commanded, putting her hands on her hips._

_Hermione couldn't help laughing at the elf and her remembrance of the witch that was most likely Tonks. She could only imagine what the Metamorphmagus must have been like when she was at Hogwarts. Due to the close proximity of the kitchens to the Hufflepuff Common Room, Hermione could guess that Tonks found her way into the elves workspace more than once._

" _We will be sure to keep him out of the kitchens," Remus said with a grin. "We are actually looking for someone to help us. Hermione will be attending classes when term starts, and I'll be the Defence teacher again. The Headmistress said we could hire one or two of your elves to watch him while we are in class. Do you have—"_

" _I's be doing it," a high, squeaky voice said._

_Hermione looked to see Winky moving off her stool in front of the fireplace. She was wearing a pillowcase with the Hogwarts crest stamped on it. Like the last time Hermione had seen her, her clothes were dirty and her eyes were bloodshot. Looking at Winky's feet, Hermione could see a few empty Butterbeer bottles. Remus gave Hermione a dubious look._

" _Yous is his mother, and was being Dobby's friend. I be doing it. I bes watching Teddy."_

" _Winky," Hermione said gently. She wanted to make sure she phrased this the correct way. She didn't want Winky crying and scaring Teddy. "Thank you, but we need an elf that can stay sober."_

" _If yous become my Master and Mistress, Is be sober," Winky cried. "Yous can be_ making _me stop. Winky stop drinking so she can help Dobby's friend."_

" _You work for Hogwarts, Winky," Remus said. "We won't be able to make you do anything. The Headmistress would be your Mistress."_

" _I's a disgraced elf. I is being free. You and Dobby's friend can bond me to yous family. Then Winky will being happy again."_

" _Winky is freed elf." The Head Elf approached them again. "If yous wanting her, yous can bond with her. She being doing nothing to help here anymores."_

" _Thank you," Hermione said to her. "We need to talk to the Headmistress, then we will let you know."_

After discussing it and deciding they would just command Winky to stay sober, they talked to McGonagall. The headmistress knew of Winky's drunken reputation, so she had no problem allowing Hermione and Remus to take ownership of her. Evidently the head elf had complained to her multiple times about Winky, but Minerva was hesitant to just dismiss the elf without her having somewhere to go. While Hermione had reservations about owning a sentient being, she figured that as long as Winky was happy and they didn't overwork her, it wasn't the worst thing in the world.

* * *

About two weeks before the start of the school year, the sound of Teddy crying in the middle of the night woke Hermione up. Opening her eyes, she saw Remus, clad only in sleep bottoms, standing in the doorway, holding him. Hermione had gotten better about blushing every time she saw him shirtless, but she still had to remind herself that he was newly widowed. She glanced at her son. Now that Teddy was four months old, his cries were louder and not as sweet as they had been when he was an infant.

"Is he okay?" she asked as she sat up.

"He has been fussing all night," Remus said, pausing at the questioning look she sent him. "I silenced the room so you could sleep. But he's hungry now."

"Poor little guy." She frowned at Teddy's continued cries and whimpers. "Bring him here."

She patted the bed next to her and Remus moved across the room to sit next to her, stretching his legs out. Handing Teddy to Hermione, he leaned back against the headboard and sighed. Hermione looked at his tired face as she helped Teddy latch on to her nipple. Teddy had been teething for the last couple of days, and they were both exhausted.

"Why don't you lay down and I'll wake you up when he is done feeding?" she asked him.

"I think I will," he said as he scooted down and rested his head on the pillow. "I'm sure he'll start crying once he's done eating."

Making herself more comfortable, she moved down the bed and rolled onto her side facing Remus, laying Teddy on the mattress between them. Hermione enjoyed the quiet sounds of Remus' deep breathing and Teddy's little grunts as she fed him. These were her favourite times; their little family together and safe. Closing her eyes, she imagined what Teddy would be like when he was older.

* * *

Remus woke up and instantly realised he was not in his room. Trying to remember how he got to Hermione's room and into her bed was not bringing back any concrete memories. He had been up the last two nights caring for Teddy while he teethed and wondered if he had come in and just gone to sleep. While it was the first time he had fallen asleep in here, it was not the first time he had come in and laid on her bed while she fed Teddy. Sometimes when he was fussy, Teddy wouldn't relax until both of them were cuddling with him.

Opening his eyes, he took in the sight before him. His arm was under Hermione's pillow, while her arm was resting on his chest, the other tucked under her head. Teddy lay on his back between them, one little thumb in his mouth, his other hand above his head, resting on Hermione's tucked up arm. Glancing up, he noticed Hermione's breast was almost out of her shirt, the dark edge of her nipple barely visible.

Remus tore his eyes from her. Even if he wanted to look, he respected her too much to do so without her permission. Letting thoughts of Hermione's exposed chest fill his mind, he started to think of all the things he would like to do to them. He stopped, guilt flooding his brain. Tonks, the woman he loved, had only been dead for a few months, and already he was admiring another woman's body.

He felt Moony's huff of irritation at his thoughts. His inner wolf didn't see anything wrong with him looking at Hermione. He had made it clear that the first alpha female in the pack was gone so it was natural for him to make the mother of his pup the new alpha female. Remus constantly struggled with Moony's desire to mate with Hermione. He found her attractive; how could he not? She was everything he and the wolf desired — beautiful, loyal, smart, and funny. But it was too soon for him to move on.

Hermione opened her eyes and gave Remus a small smile then removed her arm from his chest, making sure to not wake Teddy up when she moved his arm off of hers.

"Morning, Remus. Sorry I didn't wake you. I guess I fell asleep."

He watched as she looked down at Teddy and turned bright red. _Guess she noticed her nipple is out, too._ She adjusted her shirt and gave a quiet apology before asking for the time. Looking at his watch, Remus waved his wand to pull the blanket from the end of the bed to cover them.

"It's a little after four." Rolling over onto his side to face Hermione, he placed his hand on her cheek. He didn't know how to express the gratitude he was suddenly feeling for everything she had done for him and their son. "Thank you, for everything. We should get some sleep while we can."

"Night, Remus," she softly said before turning her head and kissing his palm. "You're a wonderful father."

He knew they had a lot to do to get ready for the school year. Hermione still needed to go to London and buy her school supplies. Remus needed a new set of robes and he wanted to go over his lesson plans a few more times. _All of that can wait. These moments with your family won't last forever. Soon Teddy won't want to snuggle between us, and Hermione will find a man that will love her and won't be around as much._

Painful thoughts in his head, Remus drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for all your comments!! I love them!


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione couldn't sleep. She had tried everything short of potions to help her, including a warm glass of milk, but nothing helped. It was after eleven the night before the rest of the students returned to Hogwarts and she was anxious. She knew she was doing the right thing by finishing her education, but she was worried about being back in classes without Harry and Ron. Even though she hadn't heard from Ron since the day he kicked her out of the Burrow, she still couldn't imagine what it would be like without her two best friends.

She did have Ginny, though. Hermione was actually looking forward to attending classes and studying with her. Unlike the boys, Ginny was almost as dedicated to her school work as she was to Quidditch. She had followed in Charlie's footsteps and turned down the Head Girl job, opting for Quidditch Captain instead. And, unlike Harry and Ron, Ginny was happy to follow Hermione's colour-coded revision diary.

Hermione was sitting on the sofa and turned her head as the fireplace roared with green flames. Remus rushed out of his room in just his pyjama bottoms, wand raised, before the person had even fully stepped into their sitting room.

As Harry stumbled out, clad in his pyjamas, and Hermione saw Remus lower his wand. Briefly, she wondered how long it would take for them to stop reacting to everything like they were still in the middle of a war. She was better when she was in their rooms or back at Grimmauld Place, but she had yet to walk through the halls without gripping her wand at all times.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said.

"I know it is late," Harry said, "but I was worried about you, Hermione."

"Me? Why?" she asked.

"I thought you might be anxious and couldn't sleep thinking about tomorrow. Then that made me anxious and I couldn't sleep. So I figured it would be better if I just came over."

"I'll leave you two to it then," Remus said, waving to them as he walked back into his room. "Goodnight."

"Night, Remus," they called.

Summoning Winky for some hot chocolate for herself and chips and pumpkin juice for Harry, they went into her room and crawled onto her bed. Hermione sent another silent thanks to the universe that Harry was dating Ginny, who was secure in their relationship. She wasn't sure she would have been able to handle Harry dating someone who felt threatened by their friendship. Harry's thoughts must have mirrored hers because he bumped her with his shoulder as he spoke.

"Can you imagine if you were dating Ron and he found us like this? He'd go mental. I'm glad Ginny knows we think of each other as siblings."

"I was just thinking the same thing about Ginny," she told him, laughing. "How are things going between you two?"

"Really well," he said with a blush. "I want to marry her."

"Harry Potter," she gasped. "You just turned eighteen and she's still in school."

"I _know_ that, Hermione." He sighed and ran his hand through his already messy hair. "I'm not going to propose to her right now. But I do want to marry her someday. You know my parents got married just a few months out of Hogwarts, then got pregnant with me a few months later. I was born just two years after they left school."

"And is that what you and Ginny want?"

She personally thought they were too young to even be thinking about children yet. She knew firsthand how hard it was trying to raise a human while still so young. None of the people their age had really even had a childhood with the war. But Hermione knew Harry wanted nothing more than a family of his own. Not just the Weasleys or her, who treated him like family, but people connected to him through blood.

"I haven't talked to Ginny about it yet. We were only together for a little bit before we went on the Horcrux hunt, and we've only been together again for four months. But I know she is the one for me."

"Then, when you are both ready, I can help you pick out the ring." Hermione wasn't one for shopping normally, but watching Harry pick out an engagement ring seemed like something she would enjoy.

"Don't you think I should just give her my mum's ring? I thought girls liked romantic stuff like that."

"Some girls do, but I think Ginny would rather have a new ring. It doesn't have to be big or expensive, but it should be new."

"Why is that?" Harry asked.

Hermione smiled at her brother. He was so grown up in some ways, but still so young in others. She desperately hoped that he never grew out of the stage where he still came to her for advice. Moments like these were some of her favourite between them.

"Because Ginny is the youngest of seven kids. Almost everything she's ever received belonged to someone else first. Her engagement ring should be just hers, no one else's."

"I never thought about it that way. I see your point, even though I would like her to have my mum's ring. Ever since I saw it in my vault when I was thirteen, I always imagined that I would see it on the finger of the woman I loved."

"Well, if that isn't the sweetest thing you've ever told me. You know, you can always give her that ring as a right-hand ring."

"What in the hell is a 'right-hand ring'?" He stared at her.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. A ring you wear on your right hand. Some women get one after a big wedding anniversary, or after their first child. It is a way to show her your love and to thank her for being part of your life."

"I don't know what I would do without you, Hermione," he said. "You always know exactly what I need to hear. Best big sister ever."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while as they finished their drinks and snacks. They set their dishes on the side tables, knowing Winky would come in and clean after they were asleep. Grabbing her wand from the bedside table, she waved it and the covers pulled out from under them and settled on top. With another wave all the candles extinguished. Hermione rolled on her side to look at Harry.

"How is Auror training?" she asked. "Is Ron talking to you yet?"

"No." He sighed. "I actually don't see him very often, but when I do, he ignores me."

"I thought you two were in classes together?"

"Not anymore. We had to take a test a couple of weeks back and then we were placed in different groups and classes depending on how we scored." He paused for a moment. "Ron didn't do that well so he is in the class that's revising to take the test again. But Neville is in my group. He is amazing. Better than I am, if I'm honest."

"Who would have thought chubby, awkward Neville would grow up to be a sexy, confident, badass?"

Harry laughed with her. Hermione had always liked Neville. While Neville had never been as close to her as Ron and Harry had, he was her first friend in the magical world, and she'd always liked him.. They had cried on each other's shoulders more than once over the years. Seeing him grow into the man he had become never ceased to impress her. And from the stories Harry told about women throwing themselves at him during pub nights, he impressed most females.

"I can't wait to tell him you said that," Harry said.

"Go ahead. It's about time someone stroked that boy's ego."

"It's getting really late."

Hermione closed her eyes. With Harry by her side, she finally felt relaxed enough to sleep.

* * *

Hermione was having a rough day. It was the middle of October and she had been up half the previous night with Teddy. She loved her son and wouldn't change her situation for anything in the world, but sometimes it was hard being a mum and a full-time student. She couldn't think of the last time she had a full night's sleep.

_She didn't know what was wrong with Teddy. He ate and she made sure his nappy was clean, but still he wouldn't calm down. It wasn't until two in the morning, finally overcome with exhaustion, that she left her room, which had been charmed silent so Teddy wouldn't wake Remus, and made her way into his bedroom._

_As she walked in with a screaming Teddy, Remus opened his eyes and pulled half the covers back in invitation. As soon as she lay down, placing Teddy between them, Remus settled his hand on their son's back, immediately calming his cries._

" _How long has he been up?" Remus whispered._

" _Since eleven. I couldn't get him to fall back to sleep."_

" _You should have come in sooner."_

" _I didn't want to wake you."_

" _Next time, don't wait so long. You know he calms down when we're all together."_

" _I think he just likes our beds," she said with a laugh._

" _I think it's a wolf thing." She followed his gaze to look at Teddy who was already asleep. "I think being surrounded by us calms whatever wolf magic he has. You know wolves sleep in groups."_

" _It's as good a theory as any." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Night, Remus."_

" _Night, Hermione"_

Now it was just after lunch and she couldn't keep her eyes open. Two cups of coffee at breakfast and another one at lunch weren't doing her any good. She was already in her seat in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, waiting for it to begin, but she kept nodding off.

"Hermione." Remus' voice and a light shake of her shoulder woke her up. "Go back to our quarters and take a nap."

"I can't. I don't want to miss classes."

"I know this is your last class of the day, and you aren't going to learn anything while you're sleeping."

"No," she protested. "I'll stay awake."

"I'm kicking you out of my classroom. I'll let you read the lesson and ask me any questions later tonight. But for now, I want you to leave."

Hermione gathered her things and made her way to their rooms. While she hated missing classes, she was glad Remus had sent her home. He was right; there was no way she was going to be able to pay attention today.

Not for the first time, she reflected how hard it was to be a mum and be in school full time. She was constantly tired and felt like she had no free time. Her breaks between classes were spent pumping in empty rooms and sending the milk to Winky. She honestly felt like a cow that constantly needed milking.

When she walked into their rooms, Teddy was playing with Winky on the floor. He smiled once he saw her and every complaint she had about being a mum and student vanished. Yes, it was hard, but to see that face when she returned from classes each day was worth it. There was nothing more beautiful in the world than when her son was looking at her like he was now.

Hermione choked back tears as he turned away to play with his stuffed animals again. Harry had purchased the plushy equivalent of the Marauders for Teddy to have, replacing Peter the rat with an otter to represent Hermione, a doe for Lily, and a pink wolf to represent Tonks. They were imbued with magic and when he held them, they would nuzzle his cheeks.

Walking over to him and kissing his forehead, she asked Winky to wake her up in two hours. She needed to rest but didn't want to be up all night. She made it to her room and collapsed, fully clothed, onto her bed and fell instantly asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

"Do you think he'll be warm enough?" Hermione asked Remus as she grabbed a red and gold blanket Molly had knitted for them when school started.

"He'll be fine. It's not that cold out," Remus replied.

It was the first Saturday in November and the first Quidditch match of the year. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, like always. Hermione had tried to convince Remus that they should leave Teddy with Winky. He knew she didn't like having the elf watch their son when they weren't in class but she thought it would be too loud and too cold for him at the Quidditch pitch. Remus explained to her that with sound-dampening and warming charms, the baby would be fine.

Remus could admit to himself, if not to Hermione, that Teddy probably _should_ stay in the castle. But the truth was that Remus wanted to spend time with his son. Since he was so busy with teaching and other professor duties during the week, he didn't want to be away from him on weekends. So even if it was cold out, and he would be strapped to Hermione and not him, Remus wanted Teddy at the match.

Being a working dad was hard. He never felt like he had enough time with Teddy. And even when he was with him, a lot of the time was spent grading papers or preparing for the next lesson. Remus was looking forward to the Christmas holidays when he would have nothing to do but spend time with his son. He planned on sleeping late and playing as much as possible. At least he _was_ able to pop into his rooms and see Teddy a few times a day. It would be so much harder if he worked at the Ministry and never got to see him.

They sat in the front row of the Gryffindor stands. Normally Remus would have sat in the staff seats, but Hermione wasn't allowed there, so he chose to sit with the students. He leaned over and adjusted Teddy's hat, another gift from Molly, and made sure the sign ("Go Aunt Ginny!") Hermione had made and pinned to his blanket was straight.

It was a big match for Ginny as coaches from a few professional teams were scouting her today. Horace Slughorn had heard Ginny wanted to go pro and had called a few of his friends around the league. While Remus thought Horace was a pompous airbag, he couldn't deny that the man had great connections and was willing to use them for the 'right' people. Whilst Remus thought differently, he knew Horace only really liked Ginny because she was so close to Harry. But, regardless of why the scouts were there, it was a big day for her.

Ginny was having a spectacular match. So far, she had scored ten of Gryffindor's fifteen goals. Remus had never seen her play and was impressed by her skill. He was also impressed by what a team player she was. Normally, if a person knew they were being scouted, they'd hold onto the Quaffle more, desperate to demonstrate how good they were. Not Ginny. She was passing to and supporting her teammates as much as possible. Everything was going great for the first hour, but when the Lions were about eight goals ahead, a bludger struck the Gryffindor Seeker, a nice fifth-year boy, breaking his arm.

"Oh no!" Hermione cried once the player was safely on the ground being looked at by Madam Pomfrey. "Ginny is the reserve Seeker. This is going to ruin her chances, isn't it?"

Remus had forgotten their team only had one Seeker. Because they had two reserve Chasers, Ginny was able to play Seeker if needed. According to Harry, she was a decent Seeker, but was a much better Chaser. At least her broom was better than the other Seeker's; it would give her the advantage if they were both sprinting for the Snitch. Harry had given her a Firebolt 2.0 before school had started.

"I think it will show them that she is a strong all-around player," Remus assured Hermione, even though he wasn't fully convinced himself.

The game resumed and Remus kept his eyes on Ginny as she flew around the pitch, searching for the Snitch as her teammates struggled to keep the lead. The other Gryffindor Chasers were good, but they were better when Ginny was playing with them. Remus gasped in pain as Hermione's fingers grabbed his, squeezing tightly and crushing the small bones. Ginny had spotted the Snitch hovering near the ground at mid-pitch and had gone into a deep dive.

"Pull up, Ginny!" Hermione yelled. "Pull up!"

Remus knew that no matter how much Hermione yelled, Ginny wouldn't abandon her dive for the Snitch. Too much was on the line. Gryffindor was only ahead by one goal now and they needed her to catch it to win.

Ginny continued in her dive until the last moment, her fingers brushing the grass as they closed around the Snitch. She did a few barrel turns before shooting into the sky, her hand raised in triumph.

"We won!" Hermione yelled in his ear, wrapping her arm around his side, careful not to squish Teddy between them. She lifted one of Teddy's hands into the air and waved it. "Way to go Aunt Ginny!"

Grabbing Hermione by the hand so they didn't get separated in the crowd, he pulled her towards the group of Gryffindor supporters surrounding Ginny in the middle of the pitch. A jolt of heat and desire went through him as he touched her and he hoped everyone would think the flush on his cheeks was from the cold air and not his embarrassment from getting turned on by holding Hermione's hand. He placed a quick cushioning charm around Teddy as the crowd became denser, the closer they got to the team.

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you! I loved Teddy's sign," Ginny said, bending down to kiss Teddy on the head. His hair turned ginger as he smiled at her. Outside of the two of them, Aunt Ginny was Teddy's favourite person in the world. Even on his worst days, he always had a smile for her. "I could see it as I was playing. Here you go, little man."

Teddy squealed as Ginny handed him the Snitch before promptly shoving it in his mouth. At seven months old, everything he touched went into his mouth. The little wings flapped on either side of his lips, causing the rest of them to laugh.

"You played wonderfully, Miss Weasley," Remus told her. He never called her Ginny outside of his private quarters while they were at school.

"Thanks, Professor. I was worried playing Seeker would ruin my chances of being scouted. I'm not as strong there, so I'm really glad I found the Snitch."

"I think playing both positions so well will only increase your chances," he told her.

"I wish Harry could have seen you play," Hermione said. "That catch was as good as any I've seen him make, maybe even better."

"I'm going to tell him you said that," Ginny laughed before being called by her team.

"Come see us after you talk to the professional coaches," Remus said.

* * *

"Can we talk?" Remus asked Hermione after she entered their sitting room. She had been busy feeding and putting Teddy down for his nap.

"What's up?" Hermione walked over and sat next to him on the sofa.

"I was thinking about Teddy. Harry is his godfather, but he doesn't have a godmother. I told you that Dora and I had been thinking about you, but that's a moot point now. What would you think about asking Ginny?"

"Did you only pick her because she is dating Harry?"

Personally, Hermione thought Ginny was an excellent choice. She was everything Hermione would want in a mother if she was no longer able to raise her son. Not only was Ginny maternal, she was fair, brave, smart, hard-working, and unlike Hermione, knew how to balance work and fun. Her dating Teddy's godfather was just the icing on the cake. Plus there was the added benefit that Teddy adored her.

"No," Remus replied, "but I do like the idea that his godparents will be married one day. I picked her because she is your best friend, besides Harry, and is a good mix of you and Dora. She has all the silliness of Dora, but your work ethic."

"I think you're right. And I think she's an excellent choice."

"Will you ask her?"

"Don't you want to do it with me?"

"I think it will mean more if you ask her."

"You're wrong, Ginny loves you. But since you asked Harry, I'll ask Ginny."

* * *

Remus was off doing his assigned patrols when Ginny knocked on their door. She had a huge grin across her face as Hermione led her to the sofa. Hoping that they would have something to celebrate, she threw a quick one-way Silencing Charm at Teddy's room so they wouldn't wake him as they sat down.

"So?" Hermione asked.

"The Holyhead Harpies want to sign me!" Ginny screeched. "The Holyhead Harpies, Hermione! Can you believe it?"

"Oh my gods, Ginny! That is amazing! I am so happy for you. Remus is on patrols but he is going to be so proud of you when I tell him. And of course I can believe it! You're a fabulous Quidditch player."

"It has always been my dream to play for them since I was a little girl. Dad used to get tickets for them when I was young and we'd go on these daddy daughter dates to watch them play. As long as nothing happens, my dream will finally come true." Ginny sighed. "I don't know how this day could get any better."

"What if I told you Remus and I want you to be Teddy's godmother?" Hermione teased.

"Seriously?" Ginny looked at her with round eyes. "You want me to? You're not joking? Or only asking me because of Harry?"

"I'm serious and I promise it's not because of Harry. Remus and I both think you are a good mix of both of Teddy's mums."

"I would love to!" Ginny yelled, throwing herself into Hermione's arms with such force they both fell off the sofa. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Thank you for agreeing. With the way you play Quidditch, Teddy is going to have two very famous godparents. I wouldn't be surprised if you get picked up for the English National team."

Hermione stood up and offered her hand to Ginny. She summoned tea for Winky and they made themselves comfortable on the sofa again.

"As you know, they cancelled the World Cup this summer because of the war, but they're having it in August. Wouldn't it be great if I got to play?" Ginny asked.

"Do they hold tryouts, or do they just pick players?" Hermione loved watching her friends play Quidditch, but wasn't as invested in the professional side of the game as her friends were.

"The coach picks the players, but then you try out with the others to make sure you are a good fit. So far the only confirmed player is Oliver."

"Oliver Wood, as in our old Keeper?"

"Yup. It was just announced in _The Daily Prophet_ this morning."

"Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get picked."

The two girls talked about everything from Quidditch to boys — which really meant Harry as Hermione was too exhausted to think about any boys besides Remus and Teddy — until Remus returned. Hermione hadn't said anything to Ginny yet, but sometimes she thought of Remus as more than just her friend and co-parent. Especially when he walked around their rooms in nothing but his low-slung pyjama bottoms. She knew it was wrong, but she often thought about him as she rubbed her pussy at night.

When Remus returned, Ginny gave him a big hug and thanked him for asking her to be godmother to Teddy. They realised it was after curfew, so Remus waved goodbye to Hermione and walked Ginny back to Gryffindor Tower.

As Hermione lay in bed that night, she couldn't help but think about how wonderful her life was. It was just a few months ago that she was living in a tent, starving, and wondering if she was going to be killed at every moment. Now she had a family. But even without her two men, her life was full. She was completing her education and excelling in every class, she had friends that she loved dearly, and above all, she was happy. Happy for the first time in a long time.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!!! I hope you all had a wonderful (for 2020) September. I'm so happy it's finally autumn!! 
> 
> Interact with me on Tumblr! (tridogmom)


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione woke to the sound of Remus moving around in their sitting room, talking to Teddy. It was the day after the New Year and the day of the full moon. After living with Remus for the last eight months, she had learned that the normally patient man changed into a snippy teenager the day of the full moon. Everything annoyed him and he had to work really hard to not snap at people. Luckily, this annoyance didn't spread to his pack so Hermione and Teddy were never on the receiving end of it. But that didn't mean she didn't have to listen to him bitch about everyone and everything all day long. She also had to deal with his restlessness — the man couldn't sit still.

A few days after the first full moon they had endured together, she asked him about it. He told her that Sirius used to tell him he was suffering from PMT — pre-moon tension. Silently, Hermione agreed with him.

Since it was still the Christmas holidays, he wouldn't be as bad as normal. While he stayed professional in the classroom, he would come back to their rooms and rant and rave about his students as if possessed by Severus Snape. December's PMT had been bad enough that she had sent him to the Room of Requirement to blow off steam by blasting training dummies apart.

Getting out of bed, she slid her feet into her slippers and wrapped her dressing gown around her. As she got closer to the door she could hear Remus complaining to Teddy.

"One day, when you're older, you'll know what I'm talking about. You'll wake up in pain, and no matter what other idiots say, a cold shower _does not_ help."

Hermione giggled at Remus' rant. Evidently, the moon made him more like a teenage boy than she realised. She briefly wondered who he thought about at night that made him wake up hard and hoped it was her before brushing that thought aside.

"Really, Remus?" Hermione said as she walked into the room. "Teaching Teddy about how to deal with erotic dreams already?"

"Er..."

Her giggles turned into a full laugh as he sputtered and turned red at being overheard.

"Don't worry about it. We've all been there. And you're right, cold showers don't do anything."

"What are your plans today?" Remus asked, his face flushing again as he took in the meaning of what she had said.

"I thought I would go into Hogsmeade around lunchtime today," she said. "I need some new quills and parchment, and I want to see if there are any new books at Tomes and Scrolls. Would you like to come with me?"

"I don't think I want to be around people today."

"Would you like me to take Teddy so you can have some alone time?"

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

* * *

Double checking that Teddy was covered by the thick layers of blankets over her wrap, Hermione cast a warming charm on the fabric then stepped out of the Hog's Head and onto the snowy street. The snow had been falling all night and at least a foot had accumulated. Sending a silent thanks to McGonagall for connecting the staff room Floo with Hogsmeade so she didn't have to walk all the way from the school in the cold, she stepped onto the path of snow that had been trampled down by previous shoppers.

Deciding she would get the essentials out of the way in case Teddy became fussy and she had to cut the trip short, she went to Honeydukes first and picked out some 'After Moon' candy for Remus. She had found that he craved all things sweet, especially chocolate, after his transformations. Checking the candy drawer before she left, she noticed he was down to only three bars. That wouldn't last him through breakfast the next day.

After stocking up on candy for Remus, she tucked her beaded bag back under her jumpers and stepped out of the store. It had started snowing heavily again and she pulled her cloak tighter around her, making sure Teddy's face was covered. Walking towards Scrivenshaft's she almost ran into an older lady that she hadn't seen through the snow.

Hermione apologised and made sure she was alright before adjusting the hood of her cloak that had fallen off in the near collision. Just as she was walking past the small alley between Scrivenshaft's and Dervish and Banges, someone grabbed her from behind, wrapped their arms around her, and she felt the pull of Apparition.

The sensation of being sucked through a tube took her breath away, but within moments she could feel wet, musty air filling her lungs. Teddy started crying as her feet hit solid ground. Placing her hand on his head, she tried to calm him, but suddenly her world went black.

* * *

Hermione awoke and was instantly terrified. Where was she? Who had taken her? She sobbed silently as she realised Teddy was no longer strapped to her body. Slowly opening her eyes in case someone was watching her, she glanced around the room only to find that she was alone. There was a small window high above her that showed it was starting to get dark outside. That meant she had been here for about an hour. Without Teddy, she didn't dare try to Apparate out of her unknown location. She had to find him first.

Sensing that she was alone, Hermione moved into a seated position. Checking her pockets, she started to shake when she found her wand was gone. Luckily whoever had taken her hadn't searched her well enough and had left her beaded bag, probably not realising it was there.

Sticking her hand in, she pulled out the watch that had once belonged to her father. It was just after four in the afternoon. That meant there was less than an hour until moonrise. Remus would be going spare with worry. He always made sure the pack spent the last hour before the moon rose together. It helped keep Moony calm as the transition neared. Since Remus took Wolfsbane potion, he became a harmless wolf and changed in their rooms. Moony's wolf form would run and play around the sitting room before sleeping in front of their door, protecting them from anyone who might want to enter.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing mind and heart as she put her bag back under her jumpers. She needed to find Teddy and she needed to get them the hell out of wherever they were as soon as possible. The sound of the door opening behind her made her turn and her breath caught as Fenrir Greyback walked in.

"I see you're awake."

"Where is my son?" she asked, holding back the vomit that threatened to escape her mouth at the sight of the sadistic werewolf.

"He is in another room, waiting for the moon to rise," Greyback said, his voice nonchalant.

"He is just a baby, you arsehole! And not even a wolf, as I'm sure you're aware. What do you want with us?"

"He isn't a wolf, but he will be by the end of the night."

"What?" she screamed, no longer trying to hide her panic. "You're going to turn a _baby_? My _son_?"

"I told Lupin years ago that he would join my pack. He has refused me time and time again. Once his pup is changed and marked by me, he will become pack. Then Lupin will either choose to join me or watch as I kill the brat."

"Leave our son alone! I'll join your pack instead; bite me!"

She didn't want to be turned and sure as fuck didn't want to be in Greyback's pack, but she would do anything to save Teddy. She couldn't let Greyback turn him.

"Interesting thought. Maybe after I turn the pup — if I don't kill him — I'll bite you. You look like you'd taste good."

"You can't do this! Remus and I would rather die than let anything happen to Teddy."

"Lupin won't even know until his neutered, furry arse wakes up tomorrow. Fucking disgrace to wolves. He is more like a corgi than a wolf, pretending to be human and denying the beast within."

"He _is_ human!"

"You know, I think I'll make you watch as I bite your pup."

"I'll fucking kill you before you get the chance," she growled. She might not have her wand, but right now she was pretty sure she could kill him with her bare hands. "Let my son go, and you can kill me."

"Don't worry, I don't want to kill you… yet. I want to fuck you like the little bitch you are first." He licked his lips, and her stomach churned. "I hope you're worth the wait 'cause I've been wanting to knot in you since last year at Malfoy Manor. If your pussy is tight enough, I might even let you live. Your hips look perfect for carrying my pups."

Hermione swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat at his words. She would suffer through anything, _anything,_ to save Teddy. Greyback could rape, torture, or kill her. As long as Teddy survived unharmed.

"Greyback, this fucking kid won't stop crying," a voice said as a man entered the room.

Rabastan Lestrange.

He was supposed to be dead. Hermione had read his name among the list of people killed at Hogwarts, listed right between Bellatrix and his brother Rudolphus. How had he survived?

"Shocked to see me, Mudblood?" he said with a sneer. "Polyjuice Potion works wonders doesn't it? Made some idiot look like me and Imperiused him to fight in my place. Looks like you aren't the only smart one in the room."

"My son is hungry. Please, give him to me," Hermione begged. "I need to feed him."

"Bast, get back in there with him or silence the room," Greyback barked. "I don't fucking care if he is crying or not when I bite him."

He looked down at his watch and swore.

"It's almost time. I need to make sure everything is ready for moonrise." Greyback turned to Hermione. "I want to watch while I change him, so I set something up in the ballroom. The Lestrange Estate has a lot of mirrors."

The two men walked out of the room and she heard the lock click behind them. Hermione felt her breath starting to pick up but she couldn't feel the oxygen getting to her lungs or brain. Her heart was racing and her whole body was shaking. Pushing the panic back as much as she could, she glanced at the watch again. Four forty-five. Eight minutes to moonrise.

_This is like Malfoy Manor all over again! But this time I'll be the one stuck in the cellar as my_ son _is tortured._

The memory of her torment at the hands of Bellatrix started to fill her mind, and she curled her legs to her chest as the echo of the pain from the Cruciatus Curse she had suffered ripped through her body. How could she survive this? Even if she was unharmed, Teddy wouldn't be. As she focused on Teddy and her desire to protect him, even if it meant dying, part of the memory from Malfoy Manor returned to her. Their escape!

"Winky!" she cried as quietly as possible.

With a loud _crack!_ Winky appeared before her, wringing her ears.

"Mistress! Yous being missi—"

"Shut up! Sorry Winky, but there is no time. Teddy and I were taken by Greyback and he is going to bite him. You have to get to him and return him to Hogwarts. Now! Go Winky!"

Hermione heard footsteps running towards her room. They had to have heard the sound of Winky entering. Another _crack!_ filled the room as Winky left and Hermione could only hope the elf was able to get to Teddy and save him without either of them dying.

"What was that noise?" Lestrange asked as he ran into the room.

"I tried to break the window," Hermione lied.

"Idiot girl! There is no escaping this room unless we take you out."

Rabastan turned to leave and Hermione took her chance. Reaching into her bag, she wandlessly summoned and pulled out Bellatrix's knife that she had taken from Shell Cottage. She had taken it from Dobby's body before he was buried and kept it as a reminder of the life he sacrificed for them. Gripping it tightly, she jumped on Lestrange's back and slashed it across his throat. His hot blood squirted from the wound and down her hand and a random part of her mind realised she must have cut his jugular vein.

_Good!_

Jumping off his back as he fell to the floor, she stepped out of the open door and tried to listen for Teddy. She looked at the watch as she moved — four minutes to go. She was at the top of the stone steps that led to the basement.

She heard a distant crack followed almost immediately by another. _Please let that have been Winky and Teddy._

" _NO!"_ Greyback's scream filled the hallway.

Hermione turned and ran towards the voice, needing to make sure Teddy was no longer there. She couldn't leave until she knew her son was safe. The doors to her right opened and Greyback, mad with rage, grabbed her.

"Your elf may have saved your son, but I'm going to kill you, you Mudblood bitch!"

_Crack!_

Hermione looked over Greyback's shoulder to see Remus appear, a house-elf she recognised from Hogwarts holding him before he yelled for it to go and it popped out of view with a crack.

"Remus, Teddy is safe! Leave!"

Greyback turned his back to her as Remus started to run towards them. Hermione gripped the knife in her hand again and stabbed Greyback as hard as she could in the lower back. She felt the blade sink into something and prayed it was a kidney, that he would die.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as she pulled the knife out and she heard the quiet alarm from her watch chime. Four fifty-three. Moonrise. She watched in horror as the two men in the room with her bent over on all fours and fur started to sprout from their bodies. They were turning into wolves right in front of her. She had watched Remus change over the months, but there was something sinister about having both of them changing before her eyes.

Shaking her head to clear it, she lunged towards Greyback. This was her chance to kill him. While he was changing, he couldn't do more than howl in pain. The transition was fast, only taking a few seconds so she had no time to waste. Lifting the blade, she brought it down on his back over and over again. She struck bone and pain radiated through her arm. Trying to ignore it, she stuck the knife in again. She was trying to get to his throat, but he was moving around from the pain and she couldn't get a good angle.

Finally, the transition was over. She could feel the vibrations in his body stop. Moving, she plunged the knife into his left side right where his heart should be. For the second time that night, hot blood covered her hands. Before she could check if she had killed him, he turned his head and sunk his teeth into her side and Hermione screamed in pain.

Her body started to vibrate and every part of her started to itch like she had been bit by a thousand mosquitos. The pain in her side turned to fire and she felt it course through her veins. Falling to her hands and knees, she began howling in pain. Panting, she looked down and saw fur grow from every pore on her hands. Hands that were now changing to paws. She felt the vibration stop, and she stood on her four legs.

With new vision, better than it had ever been, she watched as Moony ripped the throat out of Greyback's wolf form. Blood covered the floor and dripped from Moony's lips as he spat the sinew from his mouth. They both stared as blood flowing from the dead wolf slowed and then stopped altogether.

The female wolf felt her lip curl and a growl escaped her. This wolf in front of her — Moony, she somehow knew — was dangerous. She needed to fight him, teach him she didn't belong to him. Crouching down, she prepared to launch herself at him. To rip his throat out like he had done to her Alpha, her sire.

Moony crouched in front of her and she stopped. His front legs were flat on the ground, his tail in the air, wagging. He yipped at her.

" _I won't hurt you, NeNe. Let's play."_

Moving from her aggressive stance into a neutral one, she processed his words. He had killed her Alpha, but didn't want to kill her? She was confused. Moony walked towards her slowly, tail wagging as he stopped before her. He was telling her he was happy. She looked from his bloody muzzle to the dead wolf beside her. A series of yips and barks filtered into her head.

" _We are pack, NeNe. You can feel it. We have a pup together."_

NeNe? Was that her name? Some distant part of her mind, something she could feel but couldn't access was radiating with acceptance for this name and the wolf in front of her. ' _We have a pup together'_ — Teddy! This was Teddy's father? Looking at Moony again, she crouched before him and tucked her tail. Letting out her own yips, she licked his face, cleaning the blood from him.

"Pack." She barked the word over and over again.

" _Pack mates. My mate."_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see that coming? I hid this from my ABC team and loved getting to read their reactions on my document as they read it for the first time. Let me know what you thought!


	13. Chapter 13

Remus sighed as Hermione and Teddy walked out of their quarters and headed to Hogsmeade for the day. He loved his family, but sometimes he just needed space from them. Usually he tried to keep his emotions in check, but this month had been harder than normal.

Try as he might, he couldn't stop his mind from focusing on Hermione. He had woken up this morning, cock like granite, after dreaming of her naked body. He had seen parts of her body over the last eight months — her nipples when Teddy unlatched and she wasn't covered, her legs when she wore those tiny shorts to bed, her skin glistening when she was wearing nothing but a towel after a shower, and nearly every inch of her when they went swimming in the Black Lake over the summer and she wore a bikini.

That morning, he had taken a cold shower and it hadn't helped at all. His cock had softened some, but no matter what he thought about, it wouldn't fully deflate. He still thought it was too soon to be thinking about another woman, but he couldn't help it. As much as he had loved Dora, he wanted Hermione.

Giving in to what his body needed, Remus walked into his room, locked and silenced the door just in case before pulling his clothes off. He lay on his back and whispered the spell to lightly lubricate his hand. Knowing what he was about to do, his dick swelled until it was almost painful. He grasped it in his hand and sighed as he began to slowly rub up and down.

_Oh fuck._

He thought about what it would feel like to pump his cock in and out of Hermione's tight cunt as his hand began to move faster. With his enhanced senses, he already knew what she smelled like when she was turned on, and he wanted to taste her. If she only knew that every time she masturbated, the smell of her arousal permeated the air in the best way possible.

Moving his other hand down his body, he grasped his bollocks and began to tug on them. What he wouldn't give to have them smacking against Hermione's arse as he pounded in and out of her. Or even better, to have them swinging hard enough to slap her clit as he fucked her from behind.

The thought of Hermione on her hands and knees as he hammered into her was too much for him, and he came hard. Fluid shot from his cock, splattering on his stomach and covering his hand. Catching his breath, Remus spelled his body clean.

Guilt flooded him as he realised that he was falling for Hermione and was using her to bring about his own pleasure. She was young and would never fall for him, but dammit if he didn't want her in every way possible. It didn't help that Moony wanted her too.

* * *

Remus was pacing their sitting room. There was an hour until moonrise and Hermione still hadn't returned from Hogsmeade yet. She _knew_ he needed to be with her and Teddy before the change. What was keeping her?

As he wondered if something had happened to her, worry filled him. It wasn't like Hermione to miss something this important. He stopped in front of their dining table and downed his Wolfsbane potion, grimacing at the horrible taste.

As the time ticked closer to moonrise, his irritation and worry grew. He wanted to go to Hogsmeade and look for them, but he couldn't risk it. He couldn't guarantee he would make it back in time. While he trusted the Wolfsbane to keep his human brain in control — Hermione had never screwed up a batch — he wouldn't risk changing in public, just in case. He would change in their rooms because he knew that even if there was something wrong with the potion, Moony would never attack Hermione or Teddy. They were his pack and Moony loved and protected them above anything else. The general public wouldn't be that lucky.

At ten minutes to moonrise, he called Winky.

"Winky, Hermione and Teddy still haven't come back," he told her. "Would you be able to find out where they are and bring them back?"

"Winky can be finding thems for you, Master. Winky is a good elf and is happ—"

With a loud crack, she was gone.

Remus didn't understand what had happened. Winky was a good elf and would never leave in the middle of a conversation with her master.

_Unless Hermione called her._

Remus started pacing again, waiting for Winky to return. If Hermione was summoning Winky, either something was wrong or she needed help getting back into the castle grounds. It seemed to take forever, the seconds on the clock moving so slowly, time could have stopped. Three minutes passed before Winky appeared, a screaming Teddy in her arms.

"What in the fuck?" Remus yelled.

"Jibs!" Winky yelled, ignoring Remus' question as one of the kitchen elves appeared before them. "My Mistress is being in trouble in the Lestrange Estate. Bad wolf is going to kill her. I has to take care of Teddy. Yous go and save her."

Remus heard her words as if through a long tunnel. Hermione was with another wolf and was in trouble?

"Jibs," he told the elf. "I command you to take me to Hermione. As soon as you take me there, you're to return to Hogwarts and both of you need to inform the Headmistress of what has happened. Tell her to get Potter."

Nodding, Jibs grabbed his hand and he felt the pull of Apparation.

* * *

Remus and Jibs landed in what appeared to be a ballroom, the walls covered in mirrors. He saw Hermione, holding a knife, blood covering her hand and arm. He could only pray it was someone else's blood. He recognised Greyback from his scent immediately; the wolf had terrorised him since he was a child. Greyback was in front of Hermione, his back facing Remus.

Remus turned and yelled at the elf. "Leave!"

"Remus," Hermione yelled. "Teddy is safe! Leave!"

There was no way he was abandoning her. Teddy was safe with Winky. Hermione needed him now, and there was no way he was leaving her at the mercy of a killer wolf. Pulling out his wand, he started to run towards Hermione and watched as she sunk the blade of her knife into Greyback's back.

_Good girl! Kill the bastard!_

Hexes ran through his head, but he was afraid he might accidentally hit Hermione unless he got closer.

He was feet from them when he felt the pull of the moon, the change coming over him. He had no choice but to bend over and wait for the transition to complete. His skin itched as his fur came in and he bit back the howls of pain as his bones repositioned themselves into his other form.

The transition stopped and he looked up to see Hermione sink the blade into Greyback's heart. Blood poured from the wound and Remus took a moment to celebrate the death of the wolf that had changed him. He watched in horror as Greyback, refusing to stop fighting, turned and bit Hermione's side. She fell to the floor, the moon taking control of her body and changing her into a wolf.

Remus saw red. He allowed Moony to take control of his wolf form and seemed to watch, as if outside of himself, as he launched towards Greyback and sunk his teeth into his throat. Gnashing his head side to side, he pulled the cords and muscles out of the dying wolf's neck and relished in the taste and feel of Greyback's blood filling his mouth. He spat the flesh out of his teeth and watched in satisfaction as the bastard died before his eyes. Remus pushed Moony to the back of his mind where he should have been, but not before he felt the rush of happiness fill him at his kill.

A growl filled his ears and he looked to see a beautiful brown wolf, fur the color of Hermione's hair, crouching in front of him. She was in the attack position. This young thing was too new to recognise that Moony was her friend, her pack, not the dead wolf before them. But her werewolf instinct was telling her that he had killed her Alpha.

He moved into a playful position, hoping she would recognise it for what it was. It had been so long since he was bitten that he couldn't remember how long it took for him to learn the physical cues of other canines. He called her to her, hoping to get through, Moony supplying the name for Hermione's inner wolf to him.

" _I won't hurt you, NeNe. Let's play."_

She moved into a neutral stance and he slowly walked towards her. His tail was still wagging, showing her that he meant no harm. That they were family. He could see she was confused and hoped that NeNe was as smart as Hermione was. Thinking, he yipped and barked the only thing that he thought might get through to her.

" _We are pack, NeNe. You can feel it. We have a pup together."_

Remus watched as her eyes seemed to clear. She moved into a submissive stance and talked to him as she cleaned his face.

" _Pack," Hermione repeated over and over again. "Pack mates. My mate."_

* * *

Moony was howling in his head at NeNe's words. _She's a wolf and she's accepted us. Mate! Mate! Mate!_ Remus used all of the mental strength he had to ignore what was being said to him, and what his body wanted. He could smell how fertile she was, and all his inner wolf wanted to do was mount her and not stop until he had pumped a few pups into her.

Instead, he nudged her and told her they should run around the house and explore. He hoped there weren't other people in the house. If there were, NeNe would not be able to stop herself from killing them and he knew Hermione would never forgive herself. Even if they were the kind of people that supported vermin like Greyback. Moony could control NeNe to an extent, but he wasn't sure how much he would be able to help her.

They followed her human scent down to the cellar and saw Rabastan Lestrange, his throat cut, dead on the floor of a room that, based on the smell, she had been kept in. NeNe's lips pulled back from her teeth as she scented the human. Moony knew she wanted to devour the kill before her. Nipping her back legs, he directed her away from the body on the floor. He knew Hermione wouldn't want to eat that flesh.

Another room smelled of Teddy and Rabastan and both wolves growled. He knew she would be feeling the same things he was: _Anyone who touched our son deserved to die_. The protective side of him was so much stronger when he was in wolf form and he could only imagine how intense that instinct was for NeNe, the pup's mum.

The rest of the house was empty, the only scents belonged to the two dead men in the ballroom. As they walked around the main floor, NeNe sniffed at the crack under the front doors. Whining, she started scratching, trying to get out of the house.

Remus wasn't sure where Lestrange Manor was located, and while he assumed it was on a remote piece of property like most pureblood manors, he didn't want NeNe leaving the house. Until she was able to take Wolfsbane potion, it was up to him to protect her from her natural instincts. Growling, he tried to direct her away from the door and up to the next level. When she resisted, he nipped at her hindquarters again until she started to move.

They entered a room that appeared to be the master bedroom and suddenly NeNe was jumping on him, ready to play. Launching herself at him, she used her front paws to bat around his face. He nipped at her neck and she rolled onto her back. She rubbed herself against the carpet before jumping up to bat at his face again. He grabbed the skin at her neck, careful not to actually bite her, and rolled her to the ground.

He hadn't played like this since his Hogwarts days when he would transform with Sirius and the two of them would chase and wrestle each other for hours at a time. This time was different, though. NeNe wasn't a dog that was close to a wolf that he would play with. She _was_ a wolf. Remus had to keep forcing Moony to calm down. Every time he would jump on her, his inner wolf wanted nothing more than to start rutting.

Since he was older and NeNe had transitioned for the first time, they both tired out pretty quickly. Jumping onto the bed, Remus turned in a circle a few times to make sure he had selected the best spot before laying down. Yipping, he called for NeNe to come get some rest.

After bounding onto the bed, she lay next to him and placed her face on his front paws. Remus laid his head over her neck. Both of them rumbled in pleasure and he knew it was because they felt safe together.

It was just like when they were in their human forms and would crawl into bed, Teddy between them. The werewolf magic that now flowed through both of their veins calmed them down. The only thing that could make this moment any better would be to have Teddy with them now. Remus knew that NeNe wouldn't be able to hurt Teddy any more than Moony would be able to. She might be a brand new wolf, but she would instantly know her son.

Remus lifted his head and nuzzled against her face, tongue darting out to lick her before he placed his head back on her neck. Closing his eyes, he waited for NeNe to fall asleep before relaxing completely and allowing himself to drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione woke up and instantly knew something was wrong. For one thing, there was a naked body—with a large erection from the feel of it poking into her bum—wrapped around her. And two, the last thing she remembered was Greyback biting her after she stabbed him in the heart. She felt completely safe, though. Opening her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar bedroom, laying on top of the blankets. There was an arm wrapped around her waist. The person attached to the arm pulled her closer and rubbed his cock against her.

"Mmmm, you feel good," he moaned and she realised it was Remus behind her.

Relaxing now that she knew it was someone she trusted, even if it was beyond odd to wake up in bed, naked together. How many times had she dreamed of this? Heat filled her stomach and travelled between her thighs at the feel of him pressed against her. Not wanting to be embarrassed by her body's reaction, she glanced around to see if there was anything she could use to cover her body, but there was nothing.

"Remus," she called.

Remus pulled her to him again and moved his hand up her body to grasp her breast. As he squeezed, she felt her milk start to trickle out. _Son of a Hufflepuff._

"Remus." She pushed her elbow into his stomach and he grunted.

"Hermione?" he asked. He must have figured out he was groping her because his hand pulled back quickly and the warmth of his body left her back. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. We were asleep. Even though I'm not sure why we're both naked."

"Let me see if there are any clothes around here, and I'll explain."

She felt his weight leave the bed. She closed her eyes, trying to give him privacy as he walked around the room, opening doors. She heard his quiet exclamation before hearing the sound of trousers being pulled up his body and the zipper closing.

"These are the best I could find," he said. "I apologise."

Hermione opened her eyes to see a black corset and skirt on the bed before her. They jogged her memory and she realised they must still be at the Lestrange Estate and he was handing her Bellatrix's clothes to wear.

"I refuse to wear anything owned by that woman, Remus. Find me a button up shirt and I'll wear that instead."

"Thank Merlin," he replied before handing her a shirt while keeping his eyes closed.

Hermione pulled the silk shirt on and marvelled at how nice it felt against her sore body. Standing up, she was pleased to notice that the shirt went almost to her knees, so even though she wasn't wearing knickers, at least she was covered.

"I'm decent," she told him.

He turned around and studied her face. She watched pity flash in his eyes and she wondered what had happened to make him look at her that way.

"What's the last thing you remember, Hermione?"

"I was trying to kill Greyback when you showed up with a house-elf in the ballroom. Then you both turned into wolves. What happened? Did he bite me?"

Hermione listened in shock as Remus told her about watching Greyback bite her, then her first transformation. She hadn't even realised she was in pain, but now that she knew about the bite, her side was killing her. She let a few tears escape at the impact this change would have on her life. The truth was, war heroine or not, she was now a werewolf in a country where that made you a pariah. Her goal of becoming Minister for Magic had been crushed in a single night. When Remus was done, Hermione told him about how she had killed Rabastan and had no regrets about doing it. She told him what happened before he arrived and held him as he cried over the events Teddy had been part of and thanked her for saving their son with her quick thinking of house-elf magic.

"We should call the Aurors, Remus."

"I told Jibs, the elf that brought me here, to inform Minerva and Harry what was happening. The moon set at eight, so about ten minutes ago. I assume Harry and other Aurors will be arriving within a few minutes. They wouldn't have entered the house with two wolves running around inside it."

"Probably a good idea," she said. "Do you think it is strange that I'm sorry I don't remember being a wolf? I don't know what I looked like, or if I'm a friendly or mean wolf."

"Your wolf form, NeNe, is very beautiful. Your fur is the same colour as your hair, and you were very playful. Wanting to run and jump all night."

"NeNe?" Hermione thought about her wolf name. "I like it."

"Moony named you," he said, then continued at the look of confusion she gave him. "Normally the Wolfsbane keeps him dormant during the full moon, but I let him out last night. I knew he would be better at dealing with Greyback and helping you."

"Thank you for helping me. I can't imagine what the night would have been like if you hadn't been—"

The sound of a loud blast interrupted her. She reached for her wand before remembering that she didn't have it. Remus didn't have his either. They remained tense and silent until they heard Harry calling their names.

* * *

Hermione was mad. She understood she needed to give her statement to the Aurors, but she had already done so, twice. She needed to get home and check on Teddy. While she trusted Winky explicitly, she hadn't seen her son since Rabastan took him from her room. She needed to see with her own eyes that he was safe. Not to mention she was in pain from the bite to her side and the milk in her breast that needed to be expressed.

"Hermione."

She turned at the deep voice and smiled weakly at Kingsley Shacklebolt as he entered the study she was being interviewed in. She had liked Kingsley well enough when she first met him, but after fighting Death Eaters together atop a flying invisible Thestral, they had forged a deep trust with each other. Since the end of the war, they had owled back and forth numerous times.

He dismissed the two Aurors that had been questioning her before sitting next to her on the couch and pulling her close. She hissed in pain as his hug pulled at the bite mark on her side.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, and she knew he was talking about the entire night, not just the pain he caused her.

"Am I free to go?" Hermione asked.

"I know you're anxious to get home to Teddy. You're free to go for now."

"For now?"

" _I_ know you killed Lestrange and Greyback out of self-defence and they were wanted, but they still have rights. There may be a trial."

" _What?"_

She turned towards Kingsley, not even trying to hide the shock in her voice. She had not expected this. It was clear from Kingsley's face that he wasn't happy about what was happening.

"Your statements, and any memories you're able to provide, will first be shown to a committee of Wizengamot and they will decide if they want to press charges and send your case to trial, or they will rule that you're not guilty." He rubbed his face. "I know the people on the committee, Hermione. They _will_ be fair."

"And until they decide?" she asked. "Am I under arrest?"

"Normally you would be taken to the Ministry holding cells until they decided," he said, holding up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "I talked to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and we've decided to place you under twenty-four hour Auror watch at Hogwarts."

"Kings, you have to know that this is ridiculous!" she cried.

"I know it is, Hermione. But this is the due process," he said with a sigh and rubbed his face.

"Sorry. I don't mean to take out my frustrations on you. I'm just tired and I need to get home to Teddy."

"I need to take your memories of last night. Do you know how to give me a copy?"

"I just need my wand and I can do it."

"Your guards should be here soon. They found your wand in Lestrange's pocke—"

A knock on the door cut him off. Harry and Neville walked into the room, Harry holding her wand out to her.

"Harry and Neville are my guards?" she asked Kingsley.

"I thought it would be better for you if you were with friends and not a couple of Aurors you didn't know."

Hermione beamed at Kingsley and placed her hand on his knee, squeezing.

"Guess we'll be roommates again, Hermione." Harry smiled at her. "Sorry it took so long to get your wand to you. I forgot you bought a new one after the battle and I didn't recognise it."

Smiling at her friends, she took her wand. Concentrating on all the events that had taken place since she walked out of Honeydukes, she placed the tip on her wand against her temple and pulled a copy of the memory from her head. Kingsley handed her a crystal phial and she filled it to the top. Tucking her wand into her pocket, she took her beaded bag from Neville's outstretched hand.

"We found that in the pile of your clothes in the ballroom," he told her. "I'm glad you're safe, Hermione."

She followed the men out of the study and into the entryway of the house where Remus was waiting for them. She moved into his arms and he hugged her around the shoulders. Kingsley held out a Portkey to them, explaining that it would take them to the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts before promising Hermione that she would hear from him soon. Grabbing the handle of the old, brown teapot, Hermione felt the familiar hook behind her navel and cried out in pain as the wound on her side seemed to split open.

* * *

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Remus, Harry, and Neville asked in unison as they landed in the Entrance Hall.

"My side," she said as she reached down to clutch her hand to it, feeling the wetness of her blood on her fingers.

"Let's get you to the Hospital Wing," Remus said.

"Wait," she stopped him. "Harry, can you go and get Teddy and bring him to us? I need to see him."

"Sure thing, Mi," he said before turning to Neville. "I'll be right back."

Hermione was thankful that it was still the Christmas Holidays as they made their way to the Hospital Wing. This year, not a single student besides herself had stayed behind so the halls were deserted. Arriving in the Hospital, Madame Pomfrey directed her to a cot and had her lie down.

"What happened?" the Matron asked.

"Greyback bit me last night," Hermione explained.

"Did this happen before he changed?" She looked from Hermione to Remus and back.

"After," Hermione said. "I transitioned right after it happened."

"My dear girl," she cried, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. Let me get some things to heal that wound while you change into a gown."

"Will I still be able to breastfeed Teddy?" she asked as she took the gown.

"Since Teddy already has Remus' wolf DNA, there will be no problem feeding him. His magic will help him adjust to your new status."

Neville told them he would give them privacy and went to stand outside the hospital doors while Hermione changed into her gown. She took a moment to marvel at the magic imbued in the fabric as the ties that were normally at the back of the gown moved so they were on her injured side to give the nurse access. Sitting on the bed, she waved her wand over the bloodstain on the silk shirt she had been wearing. At Remus' raised eyebrow, she explained that she liked the shirt and planned on keeping it. He shook his head at her and smiled.

Harry entered, bringing Teddy to her before kissing her forehead and going to stand with Neville outside the doors. As soon as Teddy was in her arms, Hermione started crying. Her relief that he was safe was so overpowering, she couldn't stem the tears. Holding him to her, she moved the gown and placed him at her breast. He immediately latched on and she sighed as the pain from going so long without expressing her milk started to lessen. Remus must have known what she was thinking because, with a wave of his wand, her pump appeared. Attaching it to her other breast, she turned it on and allowed it to collect food for Teddy.

As the pain in her breasts lessened, Hermione sent a silent prayer out to the universe for the safety of her family.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!
> 
> Interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	15. Chapter 15

The next couple of days were a blur for Hermione. Madam Pomfrey had allowed her to go back to her quarters, but sent a basket full of potions that Remus had to make sure she took. She felt like she did nothing but sleep and feed Teddy as the scar on her side started to heal. Almost one whole side of her stomach and back were bruised, but the actual puncture marks were a lot smaller than she had thought.

Werewolf bites never truly healed, so it was easy to see that only four of his teeth had broken her skin. The Matron told her that her transformation would have opened the wound more, causing her to bleed. But traditional magic had healed the tears so she was left with only the four small red marks.

The Daily Prophet had reported her abduction on the night of the full moon. Kingsley had been interviewed and he told them of her kidnapping and that she had killed Greyback and Lestrange. He didn't mention that she was now a werewolf and she was eternally grateful to him.

Pain still coursed through her body when she was awake, but she avoided taking anything for it because pain potions, unlike the others she was taking, could be transferred in breast milk. She found that her pain lessened when she was surrounded by Remus and soothed the anxiety she felt over her status as a wolf, as well.

On the third day, Remus explained to her that new wolves usually healed faster if they were with their pack. Hermione was fascinated by the information and made him tell her as much as he could. She was slightly disappointed that she couldn't hear or feel NeNe yet. Remus had told her Moony was always inside of him and she was looking forward to experiencing that herself. When she mentioned this to Remus, he nodded his head in understanding.

"You'll hear her soon enough, I'm sure," he told her.

They were sitting on her bed, Teddy asleep between Remus' spread legs. Hermione felt a wave of pain relief wash over her as she settled her head on Remus' shoulder and he sat his hand on top of her thigh. She didn't move as she heard the door to their quarters open or footsteps coming towards them. Harry would only allow a few people in, and she knew all of them well enough that she wasn't about to try to look her best for them.

"Hermione, Remus," Minerva said as she walked through the open bedroom door.

"Please come in," Hermione said, removing her head from Remus' shoulder and sitting up straighter.

"Please don't move on my account," she said. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed where Hermione had patted. "I came to see how you are doing."

"Physically I'm still tired and sore, but it gets better everyday. I don't think I'll have a problem going to classes next Monday."

"I'm glad to hear it," she said then paused. "I just want to say how very sorry I'm for what happened to you."

"Thank you. But I'll recover. And I have Remus to help me through the transitions."

"I know you will, but I also know how hard life can be for someone with your condition. I promise you, anything you need, I'll do my best to help you."

"Thank you, Minerva," Remus said, reaching his hand out to lay on hers.

"I shall be leaving now," she stood and smiled at the family on the bed. "As you know, Severus Snape's portrait hangs in my office. When he heard what had happened, he directed me to a small notebook he kept with notes on an improved Wolfsbane potion. He said it is easier to brew."

"He found a way to improve it?" Hermione asked.

"That's what he said. He told me he wants you to have it, Hermione. I have left it for you in the sitting room."

"And you're sure he wants me to have it? Because I'm pretty sure he hated me."

"I don't think he hated you. He had a job to do, and he did it well. Being nice to Muggleborns was against his assignment. I know he liked teaching someone who actually _enjoyed_ learning. It was a treat for him."

Hermione sat in shock and didn't even say goodbye to the Headmistress as she left their room. Severus Snape wanted _her_ to have a book with his notes. Moving quietly so she didn't wake Teddy, she slid off her bed and made her way to the sitting room. Finding the notebook on the coffee table, she picked it up, returned to the comfort of her pack, and started to read.

* * *

"Hermione? Remus?" Harry called as he and Neville walked into their quarters.

It was two days before term resumed, and the rest of the student body would be returning on the Hogwarts Express in a few hours. Hermione had seen Madame Pomfrey earlier in the day and had been given the all clear to return to lessons tomorrow. Remus was in his office double checking his lesson plans.

"Hi, Harry. Hi, Neville," Hermione called from their dining room table.

It was mid-day and she was feeding Teddy chicken and mashed carrots. Or she was attempting to. Teddy was happily slapping his hands on the tray in front of him, letting the food spray around the room. It was times like this that Hermione was extra thankful to be a witch. Before the food could hit the ground she was able to magic it back onto the tray. And anything she missed could be vanished in a moment.

"We just got a message from Kingsley," Neville explained. "He needs you to come down to the Ministry right away. They want to talk about what happened."

A herd of angry Hippogriffs started stampeding in Hermione's stomach. Why was Kingsley asking her to go to the Ministry? If it was good news, wouldn't he have just sent it in a letter? Hermione was lost in her thoughts when a glob of carrots hit her in the face.

"Ahh!" she screamed, causing Teddy to laugh.

"Nice shot, little man," Harry said, rubbing Teddy's hair.

"Don't encourage him, Harry!"

"Parents are there to teach their children manners, uncles are there to teach them how to break rules."

"Harry Potter, he is the son of a Marauder and Tonks. I don't need you teaching him how to get in trouble. Merlin knows he inherited that trait already." Hermione stood and kissed Teddy on the head. "Winky!"

"Mistress bes calling?" Winky said as she popped into the room.

"Yes. I need to leave for a while. Can you finish feeding Teddy?"

"Winky be happy to be feeding Master Teddy," the elf said with a bow.

"Thank you." She turned to Harry and Neville. "I'm going to go get cleaned up and changed. Will one of you let Remus know?"

* * *

Remus and Hermione stepped through the Floo into Kingsley's office followed by Harry and Neville. Hermione had tried to convince Remus to stay behind, but he had insisted on coming with her.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," Kingsley greeted them as they removed the soot from their clothes. "The committee wanted to talk to you before they made their decision."

"Is that bad?" Hermione asked, her knees slightly weak.

"I'm not sure. Sorry, I don't have more information for you. They wouldn't tell me anything, just that they needed to talk to you."

Kingsley was leading them towards the committee room when Remus took her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles and leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Whatever happens, I'm beside you."

"Thank you," she said, squeezing his hand.

* * *

Hermione recognised most of the people that sat around the conference table from when she had attended Narcissa Malfoy's trial. The Wizenagamot had questioned her about her time at Malfoy Manor, but Hermione assured them that while Narcissa thought she recognised Hermione, it was Bellatrix who tortured her.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Granger," an old man said. "We have a few questions for you if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," she said as she took the seat he gestured to. Remus sat beside her, his hand still holding hers.

"Did you know the two men who kidnapped you and your son?"

"I knew Greyback. He was one of the men who captured me, Harry, and Ron while we were on the run. I had seen pictures of Lestrange in The Daily Prophet and briefly fought against him in the Final Battle."

"How did you know to call a house-elf to you?"

"Harry used a house-elf to rescue us when we were being held at Malfoy Manor. When I was in that room, my mind flashed to that night and I remembered Dobby, the elf that saved us. He was able to Apparate in and out of warded houses."

"Did you know the two men were wanted fugitives?"

"I'm sure I did in some part of my mind, but honestly I wasn't concerned with _who_ they were because I was incredibly worried about my son."

"Were you aware that there was a reward for their capture?"

"No. Are you asking if I planned this with them for money? That I would risk my child in the clutches of a werewolf the night of the full moon?"

"Yes, I am," the man spoke plainly. "There was evidence found at the crime scene that says you did exactly that."

He flipped through the stack of parchment before him, pulling out a single ripped sheet and pushing it towards her. Hermione bit back her gasp as she recognised the handwriting; the lack of a signature didn't stop Hermione from knowing who wrote it immediately. And if she had any doubts, the low curses from Harry and Neville behind her cleared them up. She had corrected Ron's homework enough times to know it was him.

"That fucking arse," she muttered, low enough that only Remus heard. His body stiffened beside her.

"I know who sent that letter, and I am happy to testify under Veritaserum that I did not plan this."

"How do you know?"

"I recognise the handwriting."

"So do we," Harry cut in, Neville nodding beside him. He turned to Kingsley. "All we need is for you to issue the arrest warrant, Minister ."

"Who is it?" Kingsley asked, conjuring a blank warrant before him.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley."

"I thought he was your best friend," a woman halfway down the table called.

"He _was_ ," Harry answered and the room visibly reacted to the emphasis on was. "Which is how I know that is his writing. I sat next to him in classes for six years and recognised it instantly."

"Does he have a reason to write something like this?"

"He and Hermione had a row after the Final Battle. They haven't spoken since," Harry said.

"Is this true, Miss Granger?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "The last time I saw him was at Christmas and we did not speak."

Kingsley signed his name to the warrant before handing it over to Harry and Neville. They each nodded goodbye to Hermione as they left the room. Hermione wanted to follow them. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hit or hex Ron. Remus was vibrating beside her and she could feel his rage. It was like something inside her could _feel_ his hackles and wanted to join him.

_NeNe!_ Hermione gasped in her head as she realised she was finally feeling her inner wolf. It was like another person had moved into her head, claiming that part as its own. That section held all her fire, her drive, her inner 'arse-kicking, warrior woman' self. She wasn't sure if it was the same for Remus, but her wolf wasn't talking to her with words, but more spoke through feelings. And right now, NeNe was angry. Someone had tried to harm her human and make her out to be a bad mum.

Remus' hand tightening on hers brought Hermione back to the conversation going on around her. The committee members were trying to decide if she should take the Veritaserum or if they believed her. Most people seemed to believe her, but there was one guy who thought they should have her take it just in case. After a few minutes, the old man at the head of the table turned to her.

"Miss Granger, thank you for answering our questions today. We are ruling that you acted in self-defence and no charges will be filed against you. The Galleons for the reward money will be transferred into your vault tomorrow."

"Oh," Hermione started. "I don't need the reward money."

"Needed or not, the money is yours now. And while we know it was a horrible ordeal for you to go through, the magical community is safer because of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week I was gifted with **TWO** pieces of art for this story!!! Please go and check them out and leave the artists some love. 
> 
> First by KoraKwidditch who posted it on [her Tumblr](https://korakwidditch.tumblr.com/post/633258341480660992/made-for-tridogmom-story-changes-capturing-a)
> 
> And the second by Ada_Lovelaced and can be found [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27261052)


	16. Chapter 16

_**War Hero Arrested!** _

_Mr Ronald Weasley, 18, of Ottery St Catchpole, was arrested while taking his test to become an Auror last night, writes special correspondent Padma Patil. The Ministry is being tight lipped about why he was arrested, but a source who requested to remain anonymous says it has to do with incorrect evidence given in the deaths of Death Eater Rabastan Lestrange and the notorious werewolf Fenrir Greybeck._

_Details on how the two were killed have not been released by the Ministry as the investigation surrounding their deaths is still on-going. The only information we have is that they were killed by Hermione Granger, 19, of Hogwarts School, after they kidnapped her and her son, Edward, from Hogsmeade Village._

_The Prophet will update you as more information is available and will be at his trial to report on the outcome._

_Requests for comment from Ronald Weasley went unanswered and visitation requests were denied. Mr Weasley is currently being detained in the Ministry holding cells. Arthur Weasley did say that his family "finds this highly distressing and appreciates everyone respecting their privacy."_

Remus tossed the paper on the table and shook his head. He had no idea what Ron was thinking, giving the courts the idea that Hermione would have coordinated her own kidnapping. Anyone who knew her was aware of how loyal she was. There was no way she would use one of her friends as bait, let alone her own son.

He ran his finger over Arthur's name before flipping the paper over and sighed. The Weasleys were having a hard enough time with Fred's death; they didn't need one of their other sons in jail. Remus knew first hand how hard it was to lose someone in the war, but for the life of him couldn't understand why Ron was acting this way. The entire time Remus had known him, Ron had been spoiled – an oddity seeing how poor the Weasleys were – and quick to anger, but he never seemed so hateful.

"Good morning, Remus," Hermione said, stretching before reaching to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Remus bit back a moan at the way she looked this morning. Her hair was sleep-tousled and she was wearing the tiny little shorts she liked to sleep in. Even though it had only been two weeks, ever since she had been changed, Remus was finding it harder to quiet his inner thoughts about how sexy she was. He had noticed before – he was in mourning, not blind – but now Moony saw her as someone he could bond with, which made his thoughts twice as strong.

"Morning, Hermione," he greeted her. "Is Teddy still asleep?"

"Yes, thank goodness. He was restless last night and my wand alarm kept sounding. But every time I checked on him, he was fine. Just moving a lot."

"That explains the coffee this morning. Will you have time to take a nap during the day?"

"I don't have any concrete plans, just revising before term starts tomorrow, but you know how I am." She moved to sit on the sofa next to him and tucked her cold feet under his legs.

"If Teddy is awake, you'll play with him instead of taking care of yourself?" He pulled a blanket down and tossed it over them. It had the benefit of keeping her warm and hiding the slight stiffening of his cock.

"Guilty."

"I'm free today. I'll play with him while you sleep."

"Thank you." Hermione nodded towards the paper. "Anything interesting?"

"They reported about Ron being arrested," Remus said quietly. "They didn't go into specifics."

Hermione sighed loudly as she flipped the paper over and read about Ron. Remus could see the worry on her face and knew what she was thinking. They had talked about it last night. Ron planting that false tip meant he would have to go to court and the story about how Hermione had saved herself would come out. So far, Minerva, Kingsley, Harry, and Neville were the only ones who knew she had been bitten.

Remus hoped they would be able to keep her werewolf status a secret. Merlin knew how hard it was to be looked at as nothing better than a monster in their society. Since the war, he had been more readily accepted; he was considered a hero. Hopefully Hermione, so beloved in their community, would have it easier than he did at her age. Back then, Remus survived by mostly working menial Muggle jobs that were forgiving of his once-a-month sick days. At least Hermione would have her Order of Merlin money and the reward the Ministry gave her. If Remus kept working at Hogwarts, she wouldn't have to help pay for childcare, food, or housing for Teddy when she moved out.

Moony snarled in his head whenever Remus thought about Hermione living somewhere else. He was adamant that as the mother of his pup, she needed to be nearby at all times until Teddy was old enough to fend for himself. No matter how hard Remus tried, he couldn't convince Moony that humans didn't necessarily work that way.

"I don't get _what_ Ronald was thinking!" Hermione huffed, slamming the paper back on the table. "I know I've said it multiple times, but seriously. What in the hell was going through his head? Molly is going to kill him. Or she'll hate me."

"Molly isn't going to hate you," Remus reassured her. "But I think it would probably be better if she hears your side of the story before someone else tells her."

"I'll talk to Professor McGonagall and see if I can go visit her."

"Maybe it would be better if you asked Molly to come here," Remus spoke quickly, almost muttering it. The thought of Hermione leaving the castle without him gave him anxiety. "I can ask Minerva if it's alright at breakfast and let you know."

"You're probably right. That way she can see Teddy and we can talk. Let me know what Professor McGonagall says and I'll send her an owl. I should get ready for the day."

Hermione stood up and pressed a kiss to Remus' head like she did every morning. He watched as she made her way into the bathroom and had to mentally tell Moony to _stay_ so he didn't follow her in there. Luckily, the sound of Teddy crying pulled him from his thoughts of Hermione and he sighed in relief as he went to see their son.

* * *

Hermione paced in front of the fireplace as she waited for Molly and Ginny to arrive. When they returned to their rooms after breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry was waiting for them. He explained that he had gone over the Burrow the night before to let the Weasleys know about Ron's arrest before it was announced in the _Prophet_. They were distressed, but not mad at Harry for doing his job. He had given them the bare minimal information; that Hermione was kidnapped and Ron told the committee that she planned it, but nothing more.

Harry had come to Hogwarts to see if Hermione was willing to talk to Molly. At Hermione's request, Harry was going to let Molly and Ginny use the Floo at Grimmauld Place to travel to Hogwarts instead. After hearing about Hermione's kidnapping, the Weasleys didn't want Ginny riding the Hogwarts Express back to school.

The flames in the hearth flashed green before Ginny stepped through and flung herself at Hermione. She barely had time to catch her breath before Molly was there hugging her as well. Hermione waved her hand to remove the soot from the three of them and smiled at her guests.

"Hermione, my dear girl," Molly cried. "Harry said you were kidnapped? What happened?"

Before Hermione could answer, Teddy's cries drew their attention. Molly almost pushed Hermione out of the way as she made her way into his room. Ginny laughed as Hermione shrugged and summoned Winky to bring them tea.

"Mum is obsessed with Teddy," Ginny said, grabbing a biscuit from the tray. "Hasn't stopped talking about her 'grandson' since you left on Christmas. Not that I blame her, Teddy is perfect."

"Now that Teddy is happy," Molly began, sitting down with him in her arms. "Why don't you tell us what happened? Harry wouldn't say much, just that it was your story to tell."

Hermione told them the whole story — from the moment she realised something was wrong until she had woken up in Remus' arms the next morning. Even though she had talked to the Aurors about this, there was something therapeutic about telling Molly and Ginny. Maybe it was because she trusted them so much, or maybe it was the difference in their reactions. The Aurors were professional, detached, as she spoke. The Weasley women gasped, cried, and hugged her as she told them of her horrors.

Remus came in when she was almost through with the story and stayed long enough to greet everyone before taking Teddy to go see Minerva. Ginny asked what all of this had to do about Ron being arrested and Hermione's heart broke as she watched the emotions flitter across Molly's face. Since she now understood how much a mother loves their child, she knew it would be horrible for Molly to hear that her son had done something like that.

"I just don't understand what's going on with Ronald," Molly said, sounding defeated. "First he fought with you and Harry. Then he didn't advance with his friends in Auror training. Now he lied to the Wizenagmot."

"I know he is grieving over Fred," Ginny replied. "We all are. But he just seems… off."

Hermione nodded her head. "I agree. We talked during the break in the battle and he seemed normal. Well, as normal as any of us were. We talked about not dating and he was mature about the entire thing. Then when we came to the Burrow, it was like he was a different person."

"I hate to think about him in a cell—" Molly broke off, sobbing and Molly and Ginny moved to embrace her. "I don't want to think about that."

"Neither do I, Molly."

"Hermione, I want you to know that you being a werewolf, it doesn't change how I feel about you. I know the rest of the family will feel the same way. We will always be here for you. Anything you need. And if anyone has an issue with it… Well, I will kindly remind them why my grown sons are afraid of me and just who killed Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Thank you. I am so blessed to have you in my life," Hermione said, wiping her tears away as she laughed at Molly's fierceness.

* * *

It was the end of January and Hermione and Remus had just returned from the lab; they had taken the latest round of Wolfsbane Potion. Much to their surprise, there was an owl at their window. Remus went to get it as Hermione went over to see Teddy. He was playing with Winky on a thick rug on the floor.

"Hello, Little Man," she cooed, kissing his face over and over again until he giggled at her. "Were you a good boy for Winky?"

"Little Master was being good for me," Winky said. "He only be crying once because he was sad yous weren't being here to play with him."

Hermione had been surprised to find out that house-elves were able to read the emotions of their humans. It made them great nannies because even though the babies couldn't speak, the elves still knew what they needed. It was so much easier than trying to guess if they were hungry, need a new nappie, or just cranky.

"The letter is from the Ministry," Remus said, coming over to hand it to Hermione before leaning down to play with Teddy. "They have a trial set for Ron. Last Friday of Easter Hols. Looks like Kingsley was able to pull some strings and it will be closed to all but one reporter."

"He probably did that as a favour to Molly and Arthur," Hermione agreed. "I still can't believe Ron would do something like this, no matter how mad he was."

"I think he was already hurting and finding out that you had a child – something that he wanted with you – was too much for him at that time. Like he had lost his brother and his future in the same night."

"I'm not sure Ron _was_ my future though. The more I think about it, the less I think we would have been good together. I am into books and research and he is into chess and Quidditch. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to have common interests to make a relationship work."

"Not to mention he was a tosser who walked out on you and Harry so you would never trust him."

"There is that, too," Hermione agreed.

Trust was a top priority for her, and while she understood more than anyone how much a Horcrux could mess a person up, she still had a hard time forgiving Ron for leaving them.

"Are you worried about seeing Molly again?" Remus asked.

After their discussion the day before term began, Hermione had received a package from Molly within hours of her leaving. She had sent Hermione's favourite cookies, ten new romance novels – all of them featuring a woman being seduced by a werewolf – and a huge chocolate cake for Remus. It had been a few weeks since then and she hadn't heard from her again.

"Not for my sake. I worry she will hex Ron before the courts can get to him. He's probably happy he hasn't seen his mum in weeks."

"Weeks?"

"Yeah, turns out Ron left home on Boxing Day. He came downstairs and started yelling at her for removing Fred's spoon from their magical clock. He wouldn't listen when she tried to explain that the magic of the clock removes the spoon when it feels it is time. He called her a horrible mother, summoned some clothes from his room and walked out. They hadn't heard from him since. Harry found out he was staying at some girl's house, someone he met in Auror training."

"What a messed up situation."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was my birthday yesterday and a bunch of amazingly talented people in the fandom created stories and art for me. I highly recommend you check them out [Birthday Stories](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TriDogMoms_Birthday_Extravaganza/works)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beautiful, talented Beta PotionChemist had finished editing all the chapters so I'm switching to twice weekly updates. Look for them on Mondays and Fridays.

Throughout January, Hermione had thrown herself into the journals Snape had left for her. She read them all as fast as she could, but she went back through, highlighting the things she had missed the first time. She was blown away by how smart Severus was. She had always known he was gifted—you didn't become the youngest professor ever if you were stupid—but seeing the way his mind worked was something else.

His work included Potions and Herbology obviously, but also included a lot of Artithmancy and Astronomy. There were ingredients that had to be picked when the stars were at certains angles in order to be effective. The Arithmancy was so complex and she was in awe that Snape didn't have a Mastery in that subject as well.

After talking to Remus, Hermione approached McGonagall. She wanted to work on the improved potion, but it would take a lot of time and it would require her to classes if the potion was at a critical point. She wanted to start working on it right away, but knew she had to be in class. Remus was convinced McGonagall would understand.

_Hermione and Professor McGonagall sat in the head office drinking tea as Hermione explained her concerns. She knew she should attend classes, but she also knew that working on this potion was equally important._

" _I understand where you are coming from, Hermione," Minerva said. "But you still need to attend all your classes."_

" _No she doesn't," Snape's voice came from the portrait behind McGonagall's desk. "It is the final term which means every professor is doing N.E.W.T. revision instead of teaching new things. Potion N.E.W.T.s require you to brew one of seven potions that are randomly selected. Slughorn is having them brew each one twice so they're comfortable. Vector will make them do different calculations each week to prove they know what will be on the test. Sprout will have them deal with every plant that comes up._

" _Miss Granger isn't going to be missed from any of that. She could sit and pass her N.E.W.T.s now. I would think using her education to improve the lives of others is more important than her sitting and learning nothing."_

" _Hear! Hear!" a few of the portraits around the room added._

" _I agree with Severus," Dumbledore's portrait spoke up. "There is no new material covered, so her time is best spent working on this project. She should be in her classes as much as possible, but shouldn't be punished if she has to miss one once in a while."_

" _I will talk to the governors and let you know, Miss Granger," McGonagall agreed._

" _Another thing," Hermione began. "I was wondering if there was a space I could use to do this that is out of the way. I know there are empty classrooms, I was just wondering where would be best."_

" _You may use my private lab," Snape said. "It is on the first floor, hidden behind the tapestry of the drunk giant, next to my storeroom. I am confident you know where that is since you broke into it. Password is 'Asphodel'."_

" _When did you break into his storeroom?" Minerva asked._

" _When the little brat decided to turn herself into a cat human hybrid in her second year. Brewed a perfect batch of Polyjuice and used cat hair like an idiot. I spent weeks brewing the antidote until all her fur fell out."_

" _Yes, well…" Hermione trailed off. "It seemed like the only solution at the time." She shrugged, knowing there was not much she could do about it now. "Thank you for your offer, Professor Snape."_

" _Maybe I can move a painting into the lab so when Miss Granger has questions, you could assist her, Severus." McGonagall stared at the portrait and Hermione knew from the look on her face that she would burn Snape's picture if he refused._

" _I won't come there every time, but you are welcome to call for me if you need assistance," Snape finally said._

" _Maybe I will join you," Phineas Nigellus Black called from across the room. "It will be good to see a potion invented by another Slytherin Headmaster at work."_

" _You just want to watch Miss Granger," the portrait next to him called. She was a stout woman with a kind smile. "You have fancied her since she took you on that camping trip in her bag."_

_The other portraits around the office laughed and Professor Black slipped from view._

" _Thank you, Professor Snape. Your help will move things along nicely. You were truly brilliant and it's a shame—"_

" _If you don't stop talking I will rescind my offer, Miss Granger," Snape snapped at her._

" _Yes, sir."_

" _Now that we have everything settled," McGonagall said. "How is Teddy doing? I haven't held him in three days. Much too long if you ask me."_

The first time Hermione walked into Snape's private lab, she gasped in amazement. It was so much bigger than she had been expecting. And unlike the Potions classroom and Snape's old office, the lab was bright. It reminded her of fluorescent lighting, but there was no visible light source. There was a large window on one wall, but Hermione knew it was magical since it was showing the snow-capped mountains that surrounded Hogwarts and she knew this room would overlook the lake. She thought it was smart to not have an actual window in a room that could experience explosions. She doubted Snape had ever so much as cut a root incorrectly, let alone screw up a potion, though.

The workbench in the middle was about three times as long as the student tables in the Potions classroom and looked like it would hold at least ten different cauldrons at once. The entire room was made up of light bricks. True to her word, McGonagall had added to painting to one of the walls. It sat in the middle of the room opposite the large water trough used to clean equipment. The normal gargoyle that sprayed water in the dungeon classroom had been replaced with a stone raven.

* * *

"Good morning, sir," Hermione said as she entered the lab and saw Snape in the painting. McGonagall had found an extremely large one that was of a Potions classroom. It took up most of the wall and when Snape was in it, he was almost life size. The first time Hermione brewed with him in the room, she had placed her back to the portrait, but after a visit from Professor Black who liked to groan everytime she bent over, she had switched sides so she looked at the portrait.

Currently Snape was watching Hermione brew the newest batch of Wolfsbane Potion. It was the end of February and as the full moon was a week away, they would have to start taking it tonight. She was trying Snape's faster method and so far, it was turning out perfectly. She was just about to add the next ingredient when Snape stopped her.

"I hate to do this, but I think you should know that you are an adequate brewer," Snape said. His words were kind, but he had a scowl on his face that deepened with each word.

"Don't do that," Hermione teased him. "Don't compliment me now that you are dead and I can't hug you. It isn't fair."

"If you had tried to hug me when I was alive I would have hexed you. Why do you think I was so rude to you?"

"Because I was friends with Harry and Ron and you thought they were idiots. And I was twice as bad because I was smart but chose to spend time with two abysmal teenage boys?"

"I see you are beginning to think for yourself."

Hermione and Snape began a kind of friendship after her first day in his lab. Snape was still rude and berated her when she made a mistake, but once she got used to his dry sense of humor and his sarcasm, she didn't mind it as much. More than once, she returned to her chambers and cried as she thought about how unfair it was that she didn't get to know him while he was still alive.

"Can I ask you a question?" Hermione asked Snape.

Remus had just left the lab after taking his dose and she was cleaning up the potion before she started working on the improved version.

"I may not answer it, but I can't stop you from asking," Snape said evenly.

"After the war, I approached Slughorn and asked him to teach me to brew Wolfsbane. I had the recipe but was leery to try it on my own. I didn't want Remus to suffer because I made a mistake."

"Yes?" Snape's interruption was cutting and Hermione glanced up to see a thunderous look on his face.

"It's odd because Remus received the potion every month via Owl Post from Slughorn after Dumbledore died. But he told me he had never attempted to make it. Said it was too time consuming for something that had to be done seven days in a row."

"Are you asking me to explain to you why Slughorn lied?"

"No," Hermione said sharply. "I'm asking why you continued to make it for Remus but didn't tell him."

"Do you think he would have taken it if he knew I was the one brewing it?" Snape cocked his eyebrow at her.

"Probably not," Hermione agreed. "But you were so busy. Why would you do it?"

"I know firsthand what it looks like when Remus transitions. It may have been over twenty years ago, but you don't forget watching a man transform into a wolf or the cries turning into howls, no matter how long you live."

Hermione stared at him in shock. She didn't remember her first transformation, and she had taken Wolfsbane last month, which Remus assured her lessened the pain. Even when she had watched him change in her third year, he had taken six of the doses, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But she too would never forget the sounds Remus made as he changed.

"Does Remus know?" Severus asked.

"No," Hermione assured him. "I never mentioned it."

"Please don't. Now, let's get started on the new version. Do you have any new ideas for me?"

"In fact, I do."

* * *

"Remus," Hermione called from her room. "Are you going to Hogsmeade today?"

It was the middle of March and Hermione had come up with something new to try in the improved Wolfsbane last night. She had stayed up late running the Arithmancy on it and thought it would work. She wanted to go to the Apothecary in the village to buy what she needed. If she was lucky, she would have something for them to test on the next full moon.

"What?" his answer was muffled.

Leaving her room, Hermione made her way to Remus' bedroom and pushed the partially closed door open. She stopped and stared. Remus was standing in front of his wardrobe, his back to her, stark naked, droplets of water from his shower glittering on his skin.

"Sorry!" Hermione squeaked out, backing out of his room.

_Merlin that is one sexy arse!_ Hermione tried to shake the thought from her head before Remus came out of his room, but she couldn't seem to. Remus may be almost twenty years older than her, but his body was fitter than most of the guys she went to school with. NeNe was practically panting in heat in her head.

_Down girl! Remus is off limits._

She giggled as her inner wolf growled at her.

"Morning," Remus said as he walked out of his room, face as red as Hermione's felt.

"I'm so sorry, Remus. Your door was open."

"It's fine. I'm sure you saw just as much, if not more of the boys when you were on the run."

"Don't remind me!" Hermione begged. At Remus' conjoling she finally relented and told him about the time she walked in the tent to get a cup of tea. Harry was in the shower, and Ron was wanking on the sofa. "I thought I was going to melt."

"I thought you liked Ron at the time?" Remus asked. "Don't women like seeing their man doing that?"

"Maybe if I had been warned ahead of time and my _brother_ wasn't in the next room over. Luckily I was able to back out of the tent before Ron saw me."

"It wasn't enough to impress you?"

"Not at all. He wasn't as big as I expected with his height. Stop laughing, Remus." Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. "Do you have plans today?"

"I don't. Why?"

"It's a Hogsmeade day and I need to head down and pick up some things. Professor Snape and I think we have almost figured everything out so I need to restock all my supplies. Plus I need to buy everything to make regular Wolfsbane again in case it doesn't work."

"Are you going to let me pay for it this time?" Remus asked.

"No."

"You should be saving your money for after school. What happens if you and Severus can't improve the potion? You won't be able to work."

"I like using the money from Greyback's death to pay for something that makes the world a better place," Hermione said, pleading with Remus to understand. "I promise to leave enough in there to pay for Teddy's school stuff when the time is right."

"You only got infected because of me. You should allow me to pay for it."

"I was infected because I was kidnapped by two sociopaths, not because of you. And Professor Snape and I _will_ find a way to improve the potion."

"Maybe you'll cure lycanthropy and you will become so rich it won't matter what money you used to start with?" Remus said with a wink. "Just promise me when you are rich that you won't make me feel bad about my living situation."

"If this works, you'll be able to work any job you want, Remus. They won't be able to turn you away just because you're a wolf once a month. The new potion is cheaper, faster, easier to make, and more effective. The discrimination needs to stop now, but if it doesn't, maybe making the potion affordable to all is the easiest way to go about it."

"If anyone can change the minds of the world, Hermione. It's you.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that I'm posting on Mondays and Fridays now so if you didn't read Monday's update, you'll want to.

"What have you brought to test today?" Severus asked as Hermione entered the lab and started to unpack her bags.

"Lavender and cedarwood oil," Hermione told him.

"What do you hope to achieve with them?"

"I think they are the missing elements we have been looking for. I already ran the equation and it should work."

"How did you come up with the idea?" Snape asked.

"I was looking for a quill in your desk drawers because I forgot mine. I found a bottle of your cologne. You used cedarwood and it reminded me of my mum. She went through a phase where she thought every ailment could be cured with essential oils. Cedarwood is an antispasmodic, as I'm sure you're aware. I thought that might help stabilise the muscles."

"And the lavender?"

"Promise not to tease me?" Hermione asked.

"No."

"Fine. Lavender is calming for dogs. I thought it might calm the inner wolf."

Snape stared at her before he started laughing. Hermione had never heard Snape laugh and immediately joined in.

"Alright, pup, read me your notes. You may be on to something."

Hermione read out what she had come up with the night before. As she spoke, Snape took notes and ran through the Arithmancy equations. She watched him closely and couldn't help the huge wave of gratitude she felt towards her former professor. He had already completed almost everything they had tried in their experiment so far. Other than performing the brewing trials, this was the first useful thing she had contributed. Severus was nothing short of a potions genius. Just from his notebooks alone, she could improve almost every household and basic medicinal potion there was.

"Hermione," Snape said a while later. "I really think this will work. You'll need to cut the stirs in half and add an anticlockwise one every seven rotations. I think the oils will need to be heated to ninety-three degrees before they are added. And they need to be added last. Wolfsbane should be added later than normal. I think as the fifth ingredient instead of the second."

Hermione went to gather her supplies when the warning bell for curfew rang through the castle.

"Fuck!" Hermione huffed. She wanted to work on the potion tonight.

"I'm going to have to tell Remus to wash your mouth out," Snape teased. "This potion won't take long to brew, maybe three hours. You'll have plenty of time to do it tomorrow."

"Do you think it will be ready before the next full moon?"

"When it is? Time seems to run together when you're a painting."

"In twelve days. The first of April."

"This will be done before then. Go to bed."

* * *

On the fourth day of testing the potion, Hermione had accidentally added fourteen drops of the cedarwood oil instead of the thirteen the calculations called for. She was about to pull her hair out and, as she picked up her wand to vanish the useless mess, Snape stopped her.

"Miss Granger, three anticlockwise stirs. Now!"

Reacting automatically to his tone of voice, Hermione stirred the potion and gasped as it turned a violent shade of purple. Almost the exact shade they had been hoping for the last twelve times she had brewed it.

"One clockwise turn, now," Snape said quietly. Removing the stirring rod, Hermione looked up at Snape, tears streaming down her face. "Turn off the heat before it goes bad."

Hermione blindly reached for her wand and extinguished the flames below her cauldron.

"Prof– Severus. Did it work?" she asked in a whisper, not looking at him.

"You should be proud of yourself, Hermione. As long as the trial works, you just created the most advanced potion in the world for werewolves."

"Really?"

"Really. If our calculations are correct — which they are — no werewolf will ever need to transition again."

"If you were alive, I would hug the shit out of you. Hexes be damned!" Hermione looked at him and laughed at his shocked expression.

"Maybe you could go hug Remus or Minerva instead," Snape growled, but his eyes were smiling. "They are in her office. Password is _Eilean Donan._ I'll let them know you're coming."

"Thank you, Severus. For everything."

She laughed as he stormed out of his painting before she could finish talking to him.

Decanting the potion into unbreakable crystal phials, she labelled them and set them aside before magicking the room clean. She felt like she was floating on air as she half-ran towards the Headmistress' office on the second floor. Hollering the password at the gargoyle, she bounced up and down in excitement as she waited for it to move before jogging up the rotating staircase. She stepped onto the platform and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

* * *

"Miss Granger is on her way up," Snape's smooth voice interrupted Remus' monthly meeting with Headmistress McGonagall.

"Is everything alright?" Minerva asked before Remus could.

"As well as can be expected. She wants to speak with you both regarding her progress on the improved Wolfsbane potion."

"Has she had any luck?" Remus asked.

Hermione had tried to explain to him what she was doing that morning, but he didn't have a head for potions. It just sounded like the recipe for a really foul health drink.

"Why would I tell you when I have clearly said she is on her way?"

"I thought death might have improved your attitude, Severus," Remus teased.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I am as friendly as I ever was," Severus quipped.

"Clearly."

Just a few moments later, they heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. Remus could hear Hermione's heavy breaths before she even knocked on the door and Minerva called for her to enter.

Hermione was beaming — there was no other way to explain the look on her face. Remus had never seen such happiness radiating from her in the entire time he'd known her. Slowly, he stood and moved towards her, not able to stop the hope rising in him.

"Well?" Minerva asked.

"It worked!" Hermione cried, running into the room and throwing her arms around Remus. He felt her tears running down her face. "It worked, Remus! It's perfect."

"Congratulations, Hermione!" Minerva called and pulled the girl into her arms, hugging her.

Remus felt Moony's irritation at the loss of Hermione's arms. He had liked having her so close, and Remus was in agreement.

"Tell us all about it," Dumbledore's portrait said.

"And don't leave out how much a Slytherin helped you," Phineas added.

Hermione explained all about the potion as she sat in the chair next to his. Remus was thankful she used language that was easy enough for him and Minerva to follow along. She didn't go into too many details about what ingredients were used, just how they worked and what they expected to happen after werewolves ingested it.

"Hold on," Remus said before she could carry on. "Did you just say that with this, we won't change _at all_?"

"That's exactly what I said," Hermione said, bouncing a little in her seat. "This potion will suppress the mental and _physical_ change. And it is longer lasting and more potent than traditional Wolfsbane."

"What the over-excited lion cub is trying to say is that, _in theory_ , it is longer-lasting," Severus added. "We won't know for sure until it has been tested.

"How long lasting?" Remus asked

"According to the Arithmancy equations, we'll only have to take it once a year," Hermione answered.

"Wow." Remus was floored. Only taking a potion once a year and never having to transition again was something he'd never even dreamed of. He'd been imagining something that would make them less painful.

"It has other impacts as well," Severus added, pulling him from his thoughts. "Once it is consumed, the wolf shouldn't be able to infect anyone else ever again. As I said, it would have to be tested to make sure it works the way Miss Granger and I think it will, but I doubt anyone would be willing to be a test subject."

"So I was thinking," Hermione said. "We could take it on the night of the full moon. I think it will be best if we take it as close to moonrise as possible. I wouldn't want to risk anything in case it doesn't work, so we could test it in the Room of Requirement. The magic of the room will be able to ensure we can't escape and hurt anyone."

"No," Remus said, firmly.

"Would you rather we go somewhere else? I'm not sure I want to risk the damage to our rooms just in case."

"I meant, no, you aren't testing it. I will."

"Excuse me?" Hermione screeched and Remus screwed up his eyes in pain as her voice almost burst his sensitive eardrums. "Are you telling _me_ I am not allowed to test the potion _I_ helped create? Because I think that's what I heard and I'm sure that can't be correct."

" _Oh, this is more excitement than we've seen in years."_

" _My money's on the girl."_

" _I wish I had popcorn! I bet he wins!"_

Minerva glared at the portraits around the room before silencing them. "Hermione, why don't you have some tea while Remus explains his thought process?"

"Fine," Hermione huffed, folding her arms and glaring at him.

"I just don't want to see you suffer, Hermione. I have spent over thirty years transforming without Wolfsbane. I'm used to the pain and loss of humanity. You have only done it once and it was your first time, which is the least painful. I don't want you to go through that. If your potion works, you'll _never_ have to go through that."

"But it _will_ work!"

"We can't know that until we try it. And what if something goes wrong? We are putting ourselves at risk. If something happens, Teddy would be without both his parents."

"Maybe you should table it for now, and discuss it later?" Minerva suggested. "You still have a few days until the full moon."

"Fine," they said in unison, both annoyed.

As excited as Remus was to have a possible solution to his Lycanthropy, he didn't want Hermione to test it on herself and the very idea of her putting herself in danger hurt his heart and made Moony's hair stand on end.

"Now about where you are going to test this. I have a cottage on an island off the west coast of Scotland. It's a couple of miles offshore, too far for wolves to swim. There are no neighbours on the island, just my house. It's unplottable so you don't have to worry about anyone showing up. I am happy to let you use the property."

"That would be wonderful, Professor," Hermione said, and Remus nodded with her. "Thank you."

"Will you send Teddy to Andromeda's again?" Minerva asked.

"Yes. He loves going to visit her," Remus answered. Teddy lit up anytime they mentioned Nana Andi.

"Good. Go celebrate your success together with your son. I'll have the elves bring you some chocolate cake to share."

* * *

They made their way to their quarters together in silence. Remus could feel Hermione's irritation rolling off her, but he wasn't going to back down on this issue. She had no idea what it was like to transform without the potion and he never wanted her to find out. He loved her too much for that.

_Love?_

It was true that Remus loved Hermione deeply. She was not only his partner, but she was his dearest friend. He had grown to care for her when he was her Professor and that only deepened as their friendship grew. After living together for almost a year, his love for her had evolved again. He still worried about what people would think; his wife had only passed away eleven months ago. But regardless of how much time had elapsed, it didn't change the fact that if he looked at Hermione, he could see a future with her.

Moony's approval of her only added to his feelings for Hermione. Moony was completely smittened with his human's partner – the human side of her and the wolf side. If Moony had his way, Remus would be rutting against the hot piece of arse walking next to him at every possible moment.

"Hermione," Remus said as they approached their door. "I don't want to think about the testing or anything else tonight. I just want to celebrate what an amazing witch you are."

"I will wait to be really mad at you until tomorrow," Hermione growled. "But only because there's cake waiting for us."

Remus laughed as she winked at him. They made their way into their rooms and Teddy screamed in delight as soon as he saw his parents. Reaching down, Hermione scooped him up. Remus smiled as he took in the wonderful sight of his family laughing and playing together.

Even if this potion didn't work and he had to continue to change into the wolf once a month, he would still consider himself the luckiest man on the planet.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't read this at work unless you're in your Smut Corner

Hermione and Remus arrived at Minerva's cottage a few hours before moonrise. They were more irritable than normal and didn't think it was fair to subject Teddy to their moodiness. They dropped him off at Andromeda's and returned to Scotland. Hermione knew the tension was heightened because they were nervous, but it didn't stop them from bickering.

Luckily, the Easter Hols had started a few days before so they didn't have to deal with other people. Today was April first and she didn't think she would have handled April Fools' jokes well.

"I'm still mad at you," Hermione said, glaring at Remus.

"Do we have to go over this again?" he asked with a sigh.

"I already know it won't interact with the Wolfsbane. I think we should both take it."

"And I've explained that I don't want you going through a transformation where you lose your humanity. I have done it for years, but you haven't. I know you did it the first time, and I never want you to do it again. It's too painful. Plus, that much aconite _could_ kill you. Even Severus said so."

"If it doesn't work, as soon as I turn, I am biting you on your furry arse as hard as I can. You'll have NeNe teeth marks for the rest of your life."

"Kinky," Remus said before his eyes grew large. Obviously, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"And do you like that, Moony?" she purred, stepping closer to him. "Kinky NeNe wanting to bite you, make you mine?"

"Fuck." He ran his hands through his hair. "Of course Moony wants you. But it's too soon. What would people say?"

Hermione stepped even closer, close enough that their chests were almost touching. She knew this was dangerous territory. This close to the full moon, potions or not, their libidos were raging. NeNe was screaming in her ear to mate with Moony; let him take her and claim her as his.

Even before she had changed, Hermione had wanted Remus, but she didn't pursue him because of what others would think. Now that she had him so close to her, she couldn't remember why she cared about anyone's opinions beyond her own, Remus', and Teddy's.

"Fuck what other people think. Do _you_ want me?"

"Of course I fucking want you."

She bit back her gasp as he slammed his lips against hers. There was nothing sweet or loving about his kiss. It was visceral and rough… animalistic. NeNe was cheering in her head and Hermione didn't fight her when she pushed to take control. She growled into his mouth before reaching up and using her extra strength to rip Remus' jumper down the middle. He followed suit and without breaking the kiss, they were naked, torn clothes surrounding them.

"On your knees, witch," Remus commanded, turning Hermione away from him.

She followed his instructions without hesitation. Kneeling down, she ignored the rocks that dug into her knees. Looking back over her shoulder, she felt her wetness start to drip out of her as she watched him, eyes on her exposed pussy, rubbing his cock. He kneeled behind her, moving closer until his tip was resting against her entrance.

Leaning forward he growled in her ear and it was clear that Moony was closer to the surface as well. "Have you been a good little wolf? A sweet little bitch, saving herself for me?"

"Yes," she moaned out.

"Will I be the first one to touch you, make you howl? Or have you let idiots who weren't worthy of you touch this sweet little pussy?"

_Fuck, Moony is a pervert – I love it._ "You'll be the first."

"I'll be the _only_ , my sweet bitch." He leaned closer, his cock pressing slightly into her as he licked her neck. "After this, you are _mine._ "

"Yes," Hermione moaned. "Make me yours."

Remus pushed into her, his groan louder than the hiss of pain she let out as he tore through her hymen. He paused for a moment and kissed her neck where it joined with her shoulder. The flash of pain she had felt receded with every tender press of his lips.

"Are you okay, love?" Remus spoke against her neck.

Hermione didn't answer him, instead she flexed her inner muscles, squeezing his cock. He responded immediately, pulling out before thrusting back in. She was sure they were both speaking, but her brain's ability to process words had stopped working for the moment. All she could do was focus on the blissful feeling of Remus inside of her.

"Take it, bitch." His harsh voice cut through her fog. "Take my cock."

"Yes!" she cried. "Harder."

"You like it rough, my little wolf? Ready for me to claim you?"

"Please, Remus… Moony. Claim me. Mark me."

"Fuck," he hollered in her ear. "You're mine, bitch."

She felt herself moving closer and closer to the edge. She was on the verge of asking Remus to go faster when she felt him start to swell inside her. Really swell, especially at the base of his cock. She had read that when two wolves mated, the male would knot inside his female, but Hermione wasn't aware it happened to werewolves. NeNe was over the moon as he filled her.

_Knot inside me — pump me full of your pups!_

Her pussy clenched at the thought of her belly swollen with Remus' child and her vision started to fade as her orgasm crashed over her.

She felt a stab of pain and cried out, or maybe it was a howl, as she came, and he locked his teeth at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His cock was swollen to the point that it was almost painful and she felt jet after jet of his hot come filling her. It was the perfect balance of pleasure and pain. Hermione's pussy continued to clench, trying to milk more come from Remus. As he pulled his lips from her neck and began to lick her bite, another orgasm ripped through her.

The same golden cage of light that had surrounded them when she adopted Teddy was suddenly all around them. This time, the sound of wolves running was louder for Hermione. As it was getting to be almost painfully loud, two golden wolves, _their_ wolves, formed before them and silence fell. NeNe and Moony were glowing and looked at them before they turned to each other.

She watched as the two wolves nuzzled against each other before turning in circles and laying down. NeNe placed her face on his front paws as Moony laid his head over her neck; the same way they had lain together every full moon since Hermione changed. With a gust of wind, the cage around them exploded, the golden sparks falling on to their still joined bodies.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I think," Remus said, wrapping his arms around her waist and lowering them to lay side by side, "that we may have just bonded."

A flash of light appeared before them and a thick envelope dropped onto the ground. Hermione turned it in her hands.

_Mr R. J. Lupin_

_Mrs H. J. Lupin_

_Allaidh Cottage_

_Eilean nan Ròn Island_

_Scottish Highlands_

_Dear Mr and Mrs Lupin,_

_We have received intelligence that a magical werewolf mating bond took place at Allaidh Cottage this evening at twelve minutes past six._

_As you know, all magical bondings are immediately recorded in the Ministry Hall of Records. Please note that both of your records have been amended to show your new marriage status, and Mrs Lupin's name has been updated from Hermione Jean Granger to Hermione Jean Lupin._

_We ask that any requests to view or obtain a copy of these records be done in person during regular Ministry hours._

_Congratulations on your bonding!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Nishant Singh_

01 April 1999

MAGICAL LAW OFFICE

FAMILY SERVICES DIVISION

"Did you know this would happen?" she asked as she finished the letter. She was married. _She_ was married. She was _married!_ "Or is this some kind of April Fools' joke?"

"I promise you," Remus pleaded. "I had no idea and it isn't a joke. I have never heard of werewolves being magically bonded like this. I have heard wolves refer to their spouse as their bond mate, but I thought that was just their way of speaking." He was quiet for a moment. "Are you mad?"

"More shocked, I think." She was still trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Remus shifted and she was suddenly very aware that they were still physically bonded together. "And the knotting. Did you know about that?"

He cleared his throat and Hermione wondered if he was embarrassed. "I knew it would happen when I slept with my mate for the first time. I… well…"

"Didn't expect that to be me?"

"I…" He trailed off before clearing his throat again. "I have known my feelings for you were more than just friendly for a while. After you were bit, I will admit that I have thought about it more and more. But to be honest… I wasn't really thinking about us being mates when we started tonight."

Remus' round about way of admitting that he had been horny and wasn't thinking about anything else broke through her anxiousness and she laughed.

"More interesting in the _mating_ part than the mate part, Remus?" Hermione said, laughing.

He groaned. "Sorry, when you laugh, you move and it feels amazing. And yes," he admitted. "I was more concerned with being inside you than I was about anything else."

She flexed her pussy muscles at his words and smiled at his groan.

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

"I don't. You're already the mother of my child, and we were always going to be around each other. Do you? I know I'm ol—"

"Don't bring your age up, Remus Lupin. I have wanted you for longer than I should have; I don't regret it at all."

He started to grind against her, his still hard cock rubbing deliciously inside of her.

"You've wanted me for a while, have you? Wanted me to fill you up?"

"Merlin yes." Hermione closed her eyes as Remus took one of her breasts in his hand and started to roll her nipple between his fingers. "For months. Are you always able to recover so quickly?"

"Only on the day of the full moon. I can go for hours, witch."

As he rocked his hips against her, he increased the pressure on her nipple. She felt his free hand move down her stomach before his fingers found her clit and he began to move them. She moaned as his tongue began to lick at the bitemark he had given her earlier.

"Come all over my cock, love," he whispered to her. "Let me feel how much you want me."

"Gods, Remus," Hermione moaned.

She closed her eyes and let the feel of finally being in his arms, his cock buried deep inside her, fill her mind. It was better than she had ever imagined when she had thought about him while masturbating. He pinched her clit and her world exploded as she came. Remus was whispering sweet words in her ear as she worked on regulating her breath.

"I love you, Hermione."

She turned her head as much as she could, kissing him.

"I love you too, Remus."

* * *

Remus paced as the time on his watch moved closer to moonrise. Only fifteen minutes to go. He could feel Hermione's anxiety over the change. He didn't know what to think about Hermione at the moment. Moony was overjoyed, basically running around in circles and yipping in his mind. Remus struggled, though. Hermione was young; much too young to be his wife. And as much as he knew he shouldn't, he worried about what people would think. Especially Andi and Teddy, when he was older. Would they think he moved on too quickly from Dora?

Hermione cleared her throat, pulling him out of his thoughts, and handed him his vial of potion for the night. He was both excited and nervous to take it. If it worked like Severus and Hermione thought it did, he would only have to take it once a year for the rest of his life and he would never change again. If it didn't work, he would turn tonight and wouldn't keep his human mind.

Luckily there were no humans on this island and Hermione was here to keep him from swimming the two miles of ocean to get to the mainland. He knew she was still irritated that he had insisted that she not take it. He just wasn't willing to risk her health on a potion no one had taken before. And he never wanted her to change without the Wolfsbane potion again. Waking up and not remembering the night before was not something people should have to live with.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked as he drank his potion. "You have your pen and paper to take notes? And you promise you will write _everything_ down, even if it seems insignificant, it could be impor—"

"I know, love," Remus cut her off. They only had five minutes to moonrise. "I'll write everything down, I promise."

"Sorry. I'm just nervous it isn't going to work, and nervous that it is."

"I know you are, but I'll be fine."

"And you also promise that if NeNe tries to bite you that you'll Disapparate and come back for me in the morning?"

"I promise."

Before Hermione could respond, the moon started to rise and she fell to the ground in pain. Remus quickly pulled out his wand and magicked her recently repaired clothing off her and onto the porch of Minerva's house. He winced as Hermione started to yell and he watched in horrible fascination as her body changed from beautiful woman into her gorgeous wolf. Moony, his voice faint, rumbled in agreement.

It wasn't until she had fully changed to NeNe and started jumping and playing around him that he realised he _hadn't_ changed. For the first full moon since he was four years old, he was still a man. Still Remus. NeNe nudged his notebook with her snout and playfully growled at him.

"Sorry," he said, reaching out to scratch her behind the ears. "Just in shock for a moment. You are the most wonderful witch in the world."

There wasn't much to write because Remus had felt nothing as the moon rose. No pull inside of him, no pain, so desire to eat anything and everything that moved, even his normal irritation was gone – but that could have been the sex, too. He didn't feel jittery or have more or less energy than he did on a normal day of the month. He just felt like it was another normal night. Sitting on the porch, he watched NeNe run laps around the house until she wore herself out and came to snuggle up next to him.

Remus thought more about Hermione and conjured a large mattress below them, running his fingers through her fur. He looked hard at his feelings for her and realised that, even though it was their wolves that mated, he was desperately in love with her. He had his own feelings for her, but thinking back on how she was with Teddy made him love her that much more. Hermione was an amazing mother and he couldn't have asked for a better partner for the rest of his life. Closing his eyes, Remus curled closer to NeNe.

* * *

Hermione woke up the early morning sun and was shivering. It was cold out on the island and she was naked. She was curled up in Remus' arms and reached down to steal his wand from his pocket. Casting a warming charm over them, she then conjured a blanket before spelling herself clean.

It took a few moments of breathing in Remus' familiar scent before she remembered that he hadn't changed last night.

"Remus!" she yelled out.

"What?" He jumped up and looked around, empty wand hand at the ready.

"Sorry," Hermione said, sheepishly. "Nothing's wrong, I just remembered last night and got excited."

"Last night," Remus said, crawling back under the thick blanket with her and pulling her into his arms. "Last night was… It worked! I knew it would, but to _not_ change. I can't tell you how surreal that was."

At the look on his face, Hermione started to cry. She had never seen him look so happy or carefree. It was like twenty years had melted off his face overnight. She listened as he explained how he had felt and went through the notes he had taken. They spent time talking about how this was going to change the world for werewolves and speculating if the Ministry would buy the patent from her.

"Maybe we should talk about what else happened last night," Remus said quietly.

"You are referring to the fact that we spontantously bonded during the middle of kinky werewolf sex?" Hermione teased.

"How do you feel about it in the light of day?"

"Just as happy as I felt about it last night. And you?"

"Beyond happy that I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I do have a few things I was wondering about," Hermione said. "About last night."

"What can I answer for you?" Remus kissed her before allowing her to answer him.

"First, NeNe was all for you pumping me full of pups last night. I am on the yearly potion. There isn't some kind of wolfy magic that is going to cancel out my potion, is there?"

"Not that I have heard of. A lot of female werewolves I have met don't have children, even the mated ones."

"Good, because one child is enough for me right now."

"But you will want more?" Remus asked.

"I want at least two, but maybe more," Hermione told him. "My second question… well, it is not a question as much as a demand."

"Yes?"

"If you ever call me bitch again during sex, I will rip your cock off. So I wouldn't recommend it."

Remus lightly grabbed her chin and turned her face up to look at him. She could see the love in his eyes and knew he would follow her request.

"I would apologise for my language from last night, but I think an explanation is in order instead. As you know, the wolf was closer to the surface during that time. Moony called you bitch as a term of endearment. He is a wolf, and bitch simply means 'female' to him. But I promise you that I will not call you degrading terms." Remus pulled her closer and began to whisper in her ear. "Unless you ask me to."

Hermione wasted no time in pulling Remus' wand from his pocket again and magicking his clothes to land in a folded pile near her own. They made slow love on the porch as the sun continued to rise and laid in each other's arms until their stomachs started to growl. Getting dressed, they kissed before making their way back to Hogwarts. They had a lot to tell Headmistress McGonagall when they got back.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ABOUT FUCKING TIME RIGHT? Let me know what you thought!


	20. Chapter 20

"Married?" Minerva asked. "You two are married?"

"Yes," Remus said confidently, still gripping Hermione's hand.

They had arrived at the castle and immediately made their way to the Headmistress' office. As soon as the door opened, she had shoved _The Daily Prophet_ in their faces and pointed at the headline announcing their marriage before asking for confirmation. Hermione looked at the headline again and she knew she was going to have a lot of owls to answer when she got back to their rooms.

_Maybe it will be better to just have a few people over for tea?_

"I'm surprised they didn't mention that it was a werewolf bonding," Hermione wondered aloud.

"Nishant is a friend of mine," Minerva said. "He is required to alert the _Prophet_ whenever a new marriage is recorded. He thought since you were both under my care he would alert me first. I asked him not to release that part. Your attack was so public, but no one knows you're a werewolf, Hermione, and I didn't think they needed to be privy to that aspect of your life."

"Thank you," Remus said.

"Will this cause any problems?" Hermione asked. "Because I'm still a student and Remus is my professor? I know I only have a couple of months left, but…"

"You won't have any problems beyond a few students making comments. After you adopted Teddy, I talked to the board about you living in Remus' quarters. They already agreed that since N.E.W.T. student exams are issued by the Ministry and not the professor, there was no way for Remus to impact your overall results."

"Enough about this relationship nonsense," a voice cut in from overhead. "I want to hear how the potion worked."

The three of them turned to look at Severus' portrait hanging over Minvera's desk.

"It worked perfectly, Severus," Remus answered. "I had all the symptoms leading up to the full moon, but as soon as I took it, they went away. I didn't change."

"It worked?" Minerva exclaimed, looking between them.

"It did," Hermione confirmed. "Severus, I plan on going into the lab tomorrow to compile all my notes if you would like to talk about it in more detail."

"I look forward to it. Now, please either stop talking about your love life, or do it somewhere far away so I don't have to hear about it."

Laughing, Hermione grabbed Remus' hand. They bid Minerva farewell and made their way back to their chambers. Hermione wondered if Harry and Andi, Teddy in tow, would already be there or if they were going to wait until she or Remus reached out first.

Luckily their rooms were empty when they arrived, but Winky handed her a note from Harry asking her to contact him after her post-moon nap.

"Go lay down," Remus said, kissing her forehead. "I'll pick Teddy up from Andi's and talk to her. After that we can go to Harry's."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Hermione asked. "I can take a Pepper-Up."

"No, you need to sleep."

"You'll tell Andi that I'm not trying to take Tonks' spot?"

"She already knows, love. Andi would never think that about you. Go lie down and I'll wake you up when I'm back."

Hermione kissed Remus chastely before making her way towards his room, or _their_ room now. She looked at Remus over her shoulder.

"Be safe. I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Remus stepped through the Floo into Andi's sitting room and spelled the soot away before going in search of his son.

"Andi?"

"Hi, Remus!" Andi called through the closed door. "We're in the kitchen."

He followed her voice and smiled when he saw her trying to feed Teddy. His son still liked to play with his food and was currently throwing handfuls from his tray and giggling when they were magically summoned back to him.

"Dada!" Teddy yelled as soon as he caught sight of Remus.

"Good morning, little man. Were you good for Grandma?"

"No!"

Teddy was just learning how to speak and his favourite word was 'no'. He used it for everything. _Do you love daddy? 'No!' Do you want dinner? 'No!' Do you want to play with Uncle Harry? 'No! No! No!'_ It didn't matter that he actually _did_ want to play with Harry. Now that he could speak, he wanted to do it all the time.

"Teddy was wonderful for Grandma," Andi told him. "He went to bed on time, ate his food, and didn't cry at all. A perfect angel."

"No!"

"Thank you for watching him for us. I am glad he was well behaved."

Andi left Remus to feed Teddy as she got up and started the tea.

"Are you going to tell me about last night?" Andi asked as she set a cup of tea before him.

"You know?" Remus asked quickly.

"I know you were taking the new potion last night. Did something else happen?"

"It did. We have a lot to talk about."

Andi listened as he told her all about the potion and how he hadn't transformed into Moony. Mostly, she just listened but did interrupt him with cries of happiness when he explained what it was like to be a man during the full moon — the first he could ever remember seeing with his human eyes. He stuttered and choked as he told her about bonding with Hermione. He didn't go into detail about how; she was smart enough to know the mechanics without him giving specifics.

"Congratulations on your bonding, Remus. I'm happy for you and Hermione." She smiled at him, and even though it was a little sad, he could see she was sincere.

"You don't think it's too soon, or worry that Hermione is replacing Dora? She wanted me to tell you that she isn't trying to."

"I don't think Hermione has it in her to try to replace anyone. And you and I both know there is _no_ replacing my daughter. She was unique and… well, she was Nymphadora. She could turn herself into anyone in the world, yet she was always herself. Maybe I would feel different if I wasn't there to witness Teddy's adoption. But I saw that she approved of Hermione with my own eyes. Nymphadora loved you more than anyone but her son. I think she knew that Hermione would be the best mother for Teddy, but I think she also knew that throwing the two of you together as parents… well, I think she knew you two would fall in love.

"You and Hermione are so similar and you are a good match. And I know it's old-fashioned, but I think it is best if a child is raised by parents that are married. I know he would have been fine if you two weren't together, but I think it is best that you are. I just want my family to be happy."

Remus smiled at his mother-in-law. "Thank you, Andi."

"Now, are you two going to have a reception? I think people would like to celebrate your joining."

"Do you think we should?"

"I know you hate attention, but I, and I think Molly too, would love to have a party for you two. I know it's quick as today is already Friday, but Sunday is Easter. We were already going to the Burrow to celebrate. We could combine them."

"We're going to visit Harry after Hermione wakes up. I'll talk to her about it then. Maybe we can pop over to the Burrow. I'm sure Molly would love an additional reason to cook."

"She is a wonderful woman. Teddy is lucky to have her as one of his grandmothers."

"No!" Teddy yelled at the sound of his name, laughing.

"Yes!" Remus teased him. "Are you ready to go see your mum?"

"No! No, Mama!"

Teddy's grin was huge as he stuck out his hands to Remus, clearly wanting to be picked up.

"If you and Hermione agree to have a reception, let me know. I am sure Molly and I can come up with something together," Andi said, kissing Teddy's head and walking them towards the Floo.

"I will let you know. Thanks again for watching him."

"You're welcome. I know that you and Hermione won't be changing on the full moon anymore, but I would love it if I could still have him overnight every month."

"I'll talk to her about it as she handles the schedule. But I would very much like for you to have him. He is always so happy after being here."

"I am always happy to have him. And I am sure with O.W.L and N.E.W.T. testing coming up, you'll both need a break."

"Thanks, Andi," Remus said. He grabbed his handful of Floo powder and helped Teddy wave goodbye to his grandmother as he called out their quarters at Hogwarts.

Hermione was still asleep when Remus returned to their rooms. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was about time for Teddy's nap. He transfigured their clothes into sweats and t-shirts before laying down next to Hermione and placing their son between them. Remus was not anywhere near as tired as he normally was after the full moon, but after staying up so late the night before, he laid down to sleep with his family.

* * *

Hermione woke to the feel of her wand buzzing under her pillow and blindly reached for it, causing it to still. Yawning, she opened her eyes and smiled at the men in bed with her. Teddy was on his back, arms and legs splayed, between her and Remus. Remus was laying on his side facing them and had one hand resting on Teddy's stomach.

Hermione couldn't believe that this was her little family. Last year at this time, she was living in a tent, hardly able to find food, and not sure if she would live to see another day. Now, she was a mother, a werewolf, a _wife_ , and soon to be done with her education. She let her mind wander over the changes that had occurred since the night she had traveled through the stones. Honestly, she couldn't help but think that even though this wasn't the life she thought she'd have, she was thankful this was the life she was given.

"Morning," Remus whispered, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Hi," Hermione muttered. "Everything go okay at Andi's?"

Remus nodded his head towards the door and moved out of bed. Setting the wards to keep Teddy safe, Hermione followed him. She stopped to use the bathroom before joining Remus in the sitting room where he already had a cup of tea waiting for her.

"Andi wasn't mad? You told her what I said?" Hermione asked as she moved towards him.

"That woman is remarkable," he began when she was settled. "I told her what you said and she sends her congratulations and wants to have a reception for us on Sunday. She said she thinks Molly won't mind combining it with Easter dinner. I thought after we talk to Harry we should stop at the Burrow and let Molly and Arthur know."

"That is a good idea. Oh! I need to tell Ginny too. She'll hex me if she isn't the first to know." Hermione laughed thinking about her fiery friend. Ginny was staying at Hogwarts a few days into the Easter break so she could see how the experiment went. Hermione and Remus were supposed to deliver her to the Burrow on Sunday. "She'll be happy for us."

"And are you happy for us?"

"I am. You?"

"Am I happy I found my mate and she happens to be smart, beautiful, a wonderful mother, sexy, driven… Did I mention sexy?" He winked at her. "I'm absolutely miserable. Worst thing to ever happen."

She set her cup down and moved to straddle his thighs. Pressing herself against him, she rubbed her centre against his cock. Remus groaned and gripped her hips, pulling her tighter to him.

"Still miserable?" she asked.

"Completely. If only there was some way to make me feel better..." Hermione pulled her shirt over her head and giggled as he unabashedly looked her over. "That helps a little."

He pouted as she pulled herself off of his lap, but it quickly turned into a grin as she started to strip her pyjamas from her body. Wasting no time, Remus stood and divested himself of his own clothes before sitting back on the sofa.

"Merlin, you're beautiful, witch," he said, reaching out to pull her back onto his lap.

She settled herself so she was centimeters away from his hard cock and looked him up and down. "Not too bad yourself."

Hermione leaned forward and kissed Remus gently. She wanted today to be soft, loving; everything last night's violent sex wasn't. As soon as he pressed his tongue against the seam of her mouth, all thoughts of taking her time went out the window. Shifting forward, she pressed her moistening sex against him and started to grind her hips. She needed the friction, needed him.

Losing herself to their embrace, she was taken by surprise when Remus lifted her hips and pressed his cock against her opening. She moved against him, letting him slip further inside as she reclaimed his lips. When he was fully settled inside her, Remus pulled back and looked down at their bodies. Hermione followed his eyes and moaned at the sight of him moving in and out of her as he used the hands still on her hips to move her up and down.

"So fucking tight for me," he growled into her ear. "Like you were made for me."

"I was."

She had a sudden thought that made her wonder — since he had taken the potion and it was the day after the full moon, was Moony quieter than normal? She could still feel NeNe in her mind like she'd grown accustomed to. Her wolf was ecstatic that her mate was so eager to try to breed her again.

"Can you still feel Moony?" she asked him.

"Always," Remus told her. "He is quite happy to be filling NeNe up. Hoping this time he'll pump little pups into you."

She felt her pussy clench around him at his words. "NeNe too."

"But more than that, _I_ want you. I want to have you wrapped around my cock night and day, Hermione. I want to feel you coming all over me. My dick, my fingers, my face."

"Oh!" she breathed, unable to think of a response to his words.

"Would you like that? Want me to lick your pussy until you come in my mouth?"

"Gods, yes!"

Needing to come, Hermione increased her rhythm on Remus. Her thighs were screaming, but she continued to bounce up and down on him. He gripped her hips harder and tilted them until her swollen clit was rubbing on his pubic bone. Pleasure shot through her body each time she moved. Remus moved his head and licked the spot he'd bitten last night.

She felt all the muscles in her body wind tighter, the pressure behind her cunt so forceful until, without warning, her mind, body, and the world around her seemed to explode. Remus was still moving against her, and she pulled her oversensitive clit away from his body. Pausing, he wrapped his arms around her and moved them so she was on the sofa, lying beneath him.

He kissed her bite mark again before he started to pound into her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Hermione groaned as he hit new angles inside of her. She had talked to her friends about sex, but she had no idea it would feel like this. As if everything in the world was perfect as long as Remus was inside of her.

She felt her second orgasm coming on and arched her back into him. Growling, he picked up the pace. His chest hair rubbed against her tight nipples and she was pushed closer to the edge.

"I'm gonna come," she cried.

"Yes!" Remus yelled. "Come for me!"

Hermione felt him start to swell inside of her and the feel of his knot pressing into her sensitive cunt was all she needed to let go. She felt herself clench around him as he bit down on her neck again. She was sure after this, it was going to scar and a ripple of arousal went down her body at the thought of wearing Remus' mark where everyone could see it.

"I thought you said that wouldn't happen every time," Hermione finally said as their breathing evened out. "The knotting."

"I don't know why it happened again. I thought it only happened the one time. And I don't know why I bit you. Sorry about that."

"I liked the biting."

"I know you do," he said, leaning down and licking the tender skin. "You squeeze my cock so tight I feel like it's going to snap in half." He moved his hand between their bodies, his fingers found her clit and started to swirl around it. "I want to feel it again. Can you come for me one more time?"

Hermione whimpered as he stroked her cunt and peppered her neck with nips, licks, and kisses. As her breathing became heavier, Remus increased the pressure against her and kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth. He swallowed her screams as her pleasure peaked and she came again.

"Fuck, Remus," she breathed out. "So… good."

"Perfect," he agreed.

They lay on the sofa, Remus turning them so they were on their sides, her back cushioned against the back of the sofa. Hermione hitched her leg over his hip, and they lazily kissed as they waited for the knot keeping them locked together to deflate. A flash of green filled the room and Harry walked out of the Floo.

"Herm— Jesus fuck! You're naked!" Harry yelled as his eyes locked on hers. He turned so quickly, his foot caught in the rug and he fell on his arse.

She burst out laughing as Remus grabbed the blanket from behind the sofa and pulled it over their entangled bodies. Harry's presence seemed to be all Remus needed to deflate and she felt him slip out of her.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione said, still laughing.

"'Hi, Harry' she says, after he just had to see her fucking," Harry mocked. Teddy started to cry, and Harry kept his back to them as he stood up and moved towards their room. "I'll go check on your son while you two get dressed."

As soon as he walked out of the room, Remus started to laugh. Harry's face was bright red and Hermione was glad to see that he wasn't acting like she thought he would when people found out about them. She had expected lots of doubts and self-hatred.

"He sounded just like James when he walked in on me and Sirius one time," Remus said, still laughing.

"You can't just stop there!" Hermione cried. "You and Sirius? I need more details."

"Let's go shower, then I'll tell both of you. I think Harry will enjoy hearing about it."

Ten minutes later, they joined a still red-faced Harry and a happy Teddy in the sitting room. Hermione stepped into her room to change her clothes and Remus had Winky send up tea for them. When she came back, the men were focused on Teddy and she could feel the awkwardness in the room.

"Remus, spill," Hermione demanded before turning to Harry. "Evidently your dad caught Remus and Sirius in a similar situation."

"You and Sirius?" Harry asked.

Remus told them a story about how he and Sirius had been working off some pre-moon sexual energy with each other in sixth year—something that had started the year before and continued until Sirius went to Azkaban. They had just finished when James walked into their dorm and had freaked out. He was so startled that he transformed into Prongs and was thrashing all over the room. He ripped the bed curtains, smashed Peter's bed, broke an antler on the wall, and kicked Sirius in the chest when he tried to calm him down.

Hermione and Harry were laughing so hard, they had tears running down their faces. Teddy was confused about what was going on and was looking between them, giggling and yelling ' _no!'_. Remus looked so happy, and Hermione snuggled up to him. It warmed her heart to see him looking jovial.

"So," Harry said, clearing his throat. "You two?"

Hermione went over the details of the night before. Harry's eyes were wide as she explained that they had bonded and were technically married now. She didn't go into details about the circumstances but did tell him about the magical cage that had surrounded them again. She let Remus tell him about how he hadn't transformed after taking her potion. At that, Harry handed Teddy to Hermione and wrapped his arms around Remus. She watched as the two men hugged and had to wipe the tears away at the joy that was on both of their faces.

"I… I'm really happy for you, Remus. No one deserves to be free of that ' _furry little problem'_ more than you do." Harry turned and reached for Hermione's hand. "I will provide funding for all your ingredients if you want to make your potion public after you leave school."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "I couldn't possibly ask that of you."

"Good thing you aren't asking. Between the money left from the Potter and Black estates, I have more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes. And I think my dad and Sirius would want to help you."

"Thank you, Harry. I will pay you back as fast as I can."

He waved his hand to dismiss her offer. "What are your plans now?"

"We're going to the Burrow to talk to Molly and Arthur. We want to let them know about our bonding. Andi wants to throw us a reception and wants to see if we can combine it with Easter."

"Molly will love that," Harry said.

"We should get going soon. I want to talk to Ginny first, though. Then you two can hang out here while we're gone." Hermione sent her otter Patronus to Ginny. "Remus, will you get Teddy's things together?"

As soon as Remus left the room, Harry placed his hand on hers. He congratulated her on their marriage before asking her how she was feeling about it. Remus must have heard their conversation because he stayed in Teddy's room until Ginny arrived. After the hugging and yelling from Ginny had stopped, she practically pushed them to the Floo. The last view Hermione had of their Hogwarts rooms before being whipped off to the Burrow was Ginny tackling Harry on the sofa and covering his face with kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! I hope this makes the start of your weekend a little bit better.
> 
> Interact with me on Tumblr! (tridogmom)


	21. Chapter 21

Hermione smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was in Ginny's bedroom at the Burrow and the redhead was putting the finishing touches on her hair. A shout from the yard below echoed in the room and Hermione moved to the window to see what was going on in the garden.

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday and the Weasley men were supposed to be getting the garden ready for their reception. George and Charlie were wrestling on the ground as Harry and Bill stood around them yelling. She gasped in shock but Ginny started laughing. Hermione turned to her in surprise.

"I bet Charlie challenged George to a gnome throwing contest. From the looks of it, George won and Charlie isn't too happy about it." Ginny leaned out the window. "Get him, George!"

"Your family is crazy," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"We're your family too. Mum has adopted you and Remus just like she did Harry. Not just anyone gets Weasley jumpers, and you all got one this year."

"That's true. Teddy's was so cute!"

"Almost makes you want to have more?"

"Not anytime soon. I love Teddy and I want him to have siblings, but not for a few years."

"Remus is going to lose it when he sees you." Ginny adjusted the strap on Hermione's dress before backing away. "You look perfect in green."

Instead of wearing white like Molly had suggested, Hermione was wearing a green one-shoulder dress. It showed off her slim waist and made her look taller than she actually was. She and Ginny had found it in a Muggle shop in Edinburgh yesterday. She had fallen in love with the colour as soon as she saw it because it was the same shade of green as the grass surrounding the cottage where they bonded.

"Thanks, Gin. Honestly, I think Remus would rather see me out of this dress than in it."

"I want to ask all kinds of questions about him. You know, is it big, is he good… but he's still my professor and I don't think I could sit in his class if I knew how big his dick is."

"Now you know why I never want details about you and Harry," Hermione said with a laugh.

* * *

"Fuck," a deep voice whispered into her ear. "If I'd have known you were hiding that body I might have transferred to England sooner. Remus is a lucky man."

"Charlie!" Hermione turned around and slapped his arm. "Don't be gross. You're like my brother."

"I don't think so, cause I've never wanted to strip my sister out of her dress."

"Charles, do you ever stop flirting?" Headmistress McGonagall asked, walking towards them.

"I will once you agree to go out with me," Charlie teased.

"You incorrigible old flirt. Go talk to Andi. I think she has some cousins she's reconnected with that would just _love_ to meet a dragon tamer."

"Oooh, fresh meat. Lovely to see you, Hermione, Minny."

Hermione and Minerva laughed as Charlie made his way over to talk to Andi. In the last few months, Andromeda and Narcissa had reconciled their relationship and now Andi was getting to know the Black cousins that lived in France. She was planning on having a couple of them visit her this summer and Hermione made a mental note to warn her about Charlie's inability to keep it in his trousers.

"If that boy were ten years older, I'd call his bluff," Minvera said. "You could bounce a Knut off his arse."

Before Hermione could respond, Molly saved her by calling her up to the front of the crowd. Waving goodbye to Minerva, she made her way over to where Molly was standing next to Remus. Teddy was in her arms and as soon as Hermione arrived, he reached out for his mum. Kissing her son's cheeks, Hermione took him from his grandmother and leaned into Remus as Molly called for everyone's attention.

"Hello, and Happy Easter everyone!" Molly said. "Arthur, Andi and I are so happy you are all here today for our Easter feast and to celebrate the magical bonding of our children Hermione and Remus. We could not be happier that they were able to find love with each other and become an actual family."

Hermione fixed her face into a polite smile so she wouldn't roll her eyes. She loved Molly, but her old-fashioned ideas on what made a couple an 'actual family' were too antiquated for her tastes. You didn't need to be married or bonded to someone for them to be your family. Harry was her brother and she would fight anyone who disagreed with her.

"In the Prewett family," Molly continued, "when a woman is married, her mother gives her a special gift. This is something that is created by our family magic and no one outside of the female Prewett line owns one. Until today. I made this for you two a while ago, hoping this day would come, but hadn't sent it over yet."

Molly took a wrapped present from Arthur and handed it to Hermione and Remus. Passing Teddy off to Andi, she helped her husband remove the paper. He held the box and allowed her to remove the lid. Gasping, Hermione looked from the gift to Molly and back.

"But..." She coughed out as Remus was making choking noises next to her. "I don't understand how this is possible."

"Oh, it's a simple spell found in the Prewett Grimoire, dear," Molly said. "Your magic won't allow you to create one, but don't worry; this one will update when you have more children. As soon as your little eggs are fertilised, a new spoon will appear. That's how I found out about Bill. I was making the clock the night before our wedding and almost passed out when I saw three instead of two."

Hermione looked at Remus then back at the present in their hands. Molly had made them a version of the clock that hung in the sitting room of the Burrow. There were some of the same locations: home, work, lost, travelling; but also listed were Nana's and The Burrow. What had Hermione's vision blurring with tears and Remus struggling to breathe was the spoons. All four of them were pointing at 'Burrow'. _All four._

Slamming the lid on the box, Hermione cleared her throat, elbowed Remus and turned to smile at Molly.

"It is a wonderful gift. Thank you so much."

"Oh, no need to cry, dear. I was happy to make it for you."

* * *

"What the fuck, Remus?" Hermione yelled as soon as Teddy was in bed and they had silenced his room. They had stayed at the Burrow longer than they both had wanted, but they didn't want anyone to know there was something amiss. "I thought you said there was no wolfy magic that cancelled out contraceptives! So would you like to explain to me why there is an extra spoon on our family clock?"

"I told you the truth," Remus said honestly. "I've never heard of it. I'm as shocked as you are."

"What are we going to do? I'm not ready to have more children! I'm not even out of school yet."

"Would it help if we made a list?"

"It would _help_ if you didn't have some kind of magical wolf sperm that decided to impregnate me the first time I had sex. I bet it was that knot. Thing wouldn't deflate until it made sure my eggs were inundated with Moony spunk."

"Maybe the clock was wrong," Remus said. "Did you cast the detection spell?"

"No," Hermione admitted. "I've never had a need for it so I didn't learn it."

Remus pulled out his wand and at her nod he cast the spell over her stomach. They both watched as it briefly glowed a soft golden colour before fading out. Remus' heart hurt as he saw the tears in his wife's eyes. He knew they would make it work, but he also knew how hard this was to grasp for someone like Hermione. She had her life planned out and, in the last year, all of that had changed. This was one more thing that she hadn't expected.

"Maybe it had something to do with the potion I took?" Remus asked quietly. "Because I told you, I know other female wolves that are mated to men and don't have children.

"Let's go," Hermione said, already calling Winky to come and watch Teddy while he slept.

"Where are we going?"

"To talk to Severus. If anyone can answer this, he can."

* * *

"Severus?" Hermione yelled at the portrait in the lab. "I know you can hear me! Get your painted arse over here."

"Such language, Mrs Lupin," Severus said as he walked into the frame. "One would think you were raised by wolves."

"I don't have time for your snide comments."

"Then I don't have time to listen to you." Snape started to make his way out of the painting.

"Wait. I'm sorry, Severus. I'm frustrated and I need your help."

"Explain."

Remus listened as Hermione told him about the clock Molly had made and finding out that she was pregnant. Remus still couldn't believe it. He loved Teddy, but he hadn't planned on having more children. Hell, he hadn't planned on falling in love again after Dora. But that didn't change the fact that Hermione was pregnant.

"Remus was wondering if there was something in the potion that he took that might have interacted with my birth control. What do you think?"

"Since Remus has no true understanding of potions," Severus began, curling his lip at Remus, "I can see why he would think that. You, on the other hand, should be smart enough to know that nothing in that particular potion would affect you unless you consumed it."

"But what else could it be?" Hermione said. "I took the potion in September, like I always do."

"September? Well of course it wasn't effective, idiot girl. You have to take it every month."

"No, I take the yearly potion. I have since I was fifteen."

"And that was all well and good when you were a normal witch. You're a werewolf, Mrs Lupin."

"I don't understand," Remus said. "Why does that make a difference?"

"Because the yearly potion has estrogen in it, and the monthly potion doesn't." Severus waved his hand to the side as if this answered all their questions.

"That doesn't explain anything," Hermione said.

"It explains everything if you understand how hormones and herbs interact. Besides aconite, what is the main ingredient in the Wolfsbane potion?"

"St. John's wort."

"Exactly."

"Sorry," Remus said. "I still don't understand."

Severus muttered something that sounded like _dunderheads_ under his breath. "St John's wort increases the rate at which estrogen breaks down. The yearly contraceptive contains estrogen. The amount of St John's wort that is contained in just one dose of Wolfsbane potion is enough to make the yearly potion only effective half the time. Your wife has taken enough doses of it to render her contraceptive completely ineffective.

"That is why werewolf women take the monthly potion. It doesn't contain estrogen, so they can take Wolfsbane and not have to worry about having a _litter_. Any book on werewolves written since Belby invented Wolfsbane would have told you that.

"Seeing that you two… bonded during the full moon, it makes sense that Mrs Lupin is with child. It is common knowledge that female weres are most fertile during the full moon. Once again, any book on werewolves contains this information."

"I haven't read any werewolf books!" Hermione cried. "I've been so busy trying to make the new potion and Remus was there to answer all my questions."

Remus pulled Hermione into his arms. "I'm so sorry, my love. I've never been with another wolf so I didn't know."

"If you two are done asking me questions," Severus sneered, "I will retire to my normal painting. I would rather not see this disgusting display."

"Before you leave," Hermione said. "Can I take the new potion while I'm pregnant? Will it hurt the baby?"

"There is a risk when you take any potion while pregnant, but there is nothing in the ingredients that should cause any harm. Good day."

As Severus left, Hermione leaned her head onto Remus' chest. He felt her tears through his shirt and wrapped her closer to his body. His heart broke for his new wife and the pain she was in. He wondered if she felt as conflicted as he did. Whilst he knew it was much too soon, Moony was beyond ecstatic and hadn't calmed down since Remus saw that forth spoon on the clock.

"Talk to me, love," Remus spoke quietly.

"I don't know what to think," Hermione said. "On the one hand, I am so young and have so much I want to do with my life. But on the other, I'm already a mum. With Severus' help, I've created a potion that will change the world. I've lived through a war. And it doesn't help that NeNe is in my head bouncing all over the place because ' _Moony pumped me full of pups!'_ "

"Yes, Moony is excited as well. Strutting around like he owns the world."

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? I just want to crawl into bed with you."

"Of course."

* * *

Hermione crawled into Remus' bed — their bed now — and pulled his pillow closer to her, breathing in his scent. He was currently in with Teddy who had woken up when they came back to their rooms. Her mind was racing and she took another deep breath, willing the smell of her husband to calm her nerves.

When Hermione was younger, she used to imagine what it would be like to find out she was pregnant. The images were always the same — watching the Muggle pregnancy test change from one line to two, running out of the toilet, and jumping into her husband's arms as they cried happy tears over the news. Instead, she had freaked out and yelled at her husband, blaming him for their situation.

Hell, she had just told Ginny that morning that she didn't want any more children for a few years. Her mind drifted to some of the books in Professor Snape's lab. There were multiple potions she could brew within the hour that would rid her body of the pregnancy. A snarl ripped through her mind, both from her own heart and from NeNe at the thought. She believed in a woman's right to choose, but as soon as she found out she was pregnant, she knew she would choose to go through with it.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked, walking to their room.

"Better," Hermione told him honestly. "I know it's a shock, but there is nothing I am willing to do to change the fact that we're having another baby. Tomorrow I'll start making lists on what we need to do."

Remus crawled into bed and rolled her onto her back. He slid down the bed, lifted her shirt and placed a kiss on her lower stomach.

"I can't wait to see your stomach growing with our child. No matter what, we'll get through this."

"I expected you to freak out. I remember when you found out about Teddy and…" Hermione trailed off.

"I was wrong then," Remus said quietly, pressing more kisses on her belly. "Plus, now my children will never have to worry about their father infecting them or be ashamed because of what I am; what we are. Their beautiful mother has changed my life and soon she will change the world."

He moved to lay next to her again and took her in his arms. Hermione grabbed her wand to turn off the lights before snuggling with her head on his chest. Today may have brought unexpected changes, but they would get through them together.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blame my ABC team for this chapter. I really wasn't planning on a surprise pregnancy but they talked me into it — It wasn't hard.
> 
> Let me know what you thought!!!!! And interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	22. Chapter 22

Hermione was a nervous wreck as Ron walked into the courtroom. She still didn't understand why he would make up a lie about her. And for someone who was so good at strategy games, she was confused on why he would write something on his own. He had to have known that, even if she didn't see the letter, Harry might or Percy would for sure. He was still the court scribe and there was no way that Percy wouldn't recognise Ron's handwriting.

Kingsley had been able to secure the courtroom so it wasn't open to the public. He did have to allow a couple of reporters, so Padma Patil was there for the _Prophet_ and Hermione had requested Luna come for _The Quibbler_. She knew that even if Luna was a little strange, she would paint Hermione's new status as a werewolf in a good light. Harry and Neville were there as witnesses since they had both identified his handwriting in the note.

Teddy was with Andromeda, and Hogwarts was still on Easter Holiday, so Remus was next to her, holding her hand. The entire Weasley family was in attendance, and Hermione wasn't sure if they were there to support her or Ron. Well, Ginny had made it _very_ clear that she was there for Hermione. She had promised to hex him six ways to Sunday as soon as she could.

Fleur sat next to Hermione until the proceeding started, the two of them speaking in quiet French—Hermione always happy to have the opportunity to refresh her language skills. Her mom was from Paris and had insisted that Hermione be fluent in both of her parents' languages from a young age.

Heavily pregnant, Fleur was due April twenty-fifth, just one week after Teddy's first birthday. She had been asking Hermione all about what it was _really_ like to have an infant in the house. Evidently Molly would only tell her that every single one of her children had slept through the night from day one, never cried, and were perfect angels. Fleur bought that rubbish about as much as Hermione did. There was _no_ way Fred and George were well-behaved toddlers, especially if you listened to the stories Bill told about them.

"Please state your name for the court," Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice boomed through the room and Hermione and Fleur's conversation came to a halt.

"Ronald Billus Weasley," Ron stated, his voice emotionless.

"And how do you plead to the offense of planting false evidence at the scene of a crime?"

"Not guilty."

"And to the charge that you were involved in the kidnap and attempted murders of Hermione and Edward Lupin?"

"Granger," Ron replied.

"Excuse me?" Kingsley asked, nonplussed.

"Hermione Granger. You referred to her as Hermione Lupin. It's Hermione Granger."

"I read the names correctly. How do you plead?"

Hermione assumed Ron would have been told that she and Remus were now bonded. It wasn't a secret; hell, it had even been announced in the _Prophet_. She still went by Miss Granger at Hogwarts because it was less of a hassle, but it was surprising to her that Molly hadn't told him.

"You married the wolf?" Ron turned and yelled at her. "You didn't trap him enough by adopting his child? You forced him to marry you?"

"Mr Weasley," Kingsley bellowed. "You will answer the questions you are asked and you will _not_ talk unless you have been given leave to do so. Answer my question. How do you plead to the charge that you were invloved in the kidnap and attempted murder of Hermione and Edward Lupin?"

"Not guilty."

"Your responses have been recorded. We will proceed with the case."

Hermione listened as the court hearing went on. Ron would not admit to writing the note. Even when there were magically enlarged copies of his handwriting on display, circles around his distinctive way of writing the letters r, h, and n that were a perfect match to the note they found. She saw him shift in his seat when it was revealed that the ink and parchment were identical matches to the other papers taken from Rabastan's room, but he still denied he had written the note.

She wasn't surprised he wouldn't admit to anything, though. Ron had been in the holding cells at the Ministry since the beginning of January. The Ministry prosecutors had been trying to reach a plea deal with him since he was arrested, but he would not agree to anything, claiming he was innocent and Hermione had falsely accused him.

New laws in place meant they couldn't administer Veritaserum unless it was in trial and the majority of the Wizenagamot approved. Hermione knew from the trials she had been at before that, unlike Muggle courts, the accused could be forced to testify multiple times during their trial. So far, Ron wasn't bugding.

Hermione was not aware that Ron had been called to Lastrange Estate the day after she was captured. She knew they had allowed Aurors that were almost done with their training, like Harry and Neville, at the crime scene. But every other Auror that knew her, and a few that didn't, had spoken to her or Remus that morning. Ron had never come to see her or even check if she was still alive.

Kingsley stopped questioning Ron for a moment and called Auror Taylor, a woman around Remus' age, into the courtroom. When she turned, Hermione recognised her as the Auror that had been logging the deceased victims after the Final Battle. She moved into the room and stood beside the chair Ron was chained to. After confirming her information, Kingsley started questioning her.

"Which rooms were you assigned to?" Kingsley asked Auror Taylor.

"Auror Trainee Weasley and I were assigned to check out the cellar," she answered. "He is not my normal partner but he was assigned to me because he was still in training. We saw a few bloody footprints as we got closer to the room where Mr Lestrange's body was located. After confirming that he was deceased, we went to search the other rooms for prisoners or bodies before processing the rooms for the crime scene. Weasley and I both left the room with the body as it was otherwise empty. I assigned Trainee Weasley to look in a room that had a bed, chair, and a desk covered in parchment while I covered the other two. The last room I went into had a few trunks and boxes so, following procedure, I had to check that they were free of bodies or people hiding."

"And Mr Weasley was where at this point?" Hermione noticed that while Auror Taylor still used Ron's title, Kinglsey did not.

"He was not in the room with me. I would only be able to speculate what he was doing while I was not with him."

"Can you tell us why he was there? Normally people in Auror training do not go to crime scenes."

"It is not common for Aurors in training to be allowed at a crime scene. However, we had a few reports that Greybeck had been seen, and it was rumored that he was working with Lestrange. Lestrange was reported as deceased after the Battle of Hogwarts, but there had been sightings that made us think otherwise," Auror Taylor explained. "Auror Potter had been informed by a house-elf that the Lupins were taken by a werewolf and another man. Because we didn't know what we would be walking into, we wanted as many people with us as possible. The war killed a lot of the Auror corps so we were short handed for a raid that size. Taking trainees was our only safe option."

"And you were the one to find the note, is that correct?" a member of the Wizengamot asked.

"Yes," Auror Taylor answered. "It was buried under a few other pieces of parchment on the desk in the room I had assigned Trainee Weasley to search."

"You put the note into a seperate sleeve than the rest of the parchment that was found. Why did you do that?"

"I found it odd that the writing on the parchment didn't match the rest of the handwriting. Also, it clearly stated the name of Hermione Granger, who we had been briefed was one of the people who had been kidnapped. By separating it, I knew it would be examined faster than if I had bundled it with the rest."

"Is this the note you found?" Kingsley asked, uncovering the enlarged note for her to see.

Watching as Auror Taylor read the evidence, Hermione let her eyes run over it again and bit back the snort that threatened to escape at the words before her. No one asked her, but if they did, she would tell them it was clearly planted as well as ridiculous.

' _Hopefully Hermione Granger_ _is convincing enough to trick everyone that we're dead. Now that everyone knows she was kidnapped, they will give her the money and she will give it to us so we can escape. She was always a dark witch! Good thing she set this whole thing up! I want to live in Mexico when we get paid.'_

"Yes, that is a copy of the note I found."

"Thank you for your time. You will leave your memories of that night with the clerk before you leave."

"Yes, sir."

The courtroom took a break and Hermione asked Remus about the memories. It seemed to her like this whole thing would go a lot faster if they just took everyone's memories of the night and the Wizengamot watched them before making a decision. He explained that memories could only be extracted willingly by the person or forcibly by dark magic. Remus had talked to Harry earlier who said Ron was refusing to extract his and Kingsley wasn't willing to use dark magic on him.

When court was back in session, Kingsley called Hermione to speak to the Wizengamot and her nerves, kept at bay all day, slammed into her. She had to force herself to take each step towards the middle of the room. She had stood in this spot so many times; a little less than a year ago, she had testified at the trials of the Malfoys. It was so different when the person sitting in the chair next to you was someone you respected and not someone who fought against you.

"Please state your name for the court," Kingsley said to her.

"Hermione Jean Lupin," she answered him, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She kept reminding herself that she had done nothing wrong.

"Can you please tell us of the events of the second of January?"

Hermione went through the speech she had practiced. She covered everything from the moment she had been taken until the moment her memory faded out when she transformed into a wolf. A gasp went around the room as she talked about being bitten. It was clear that Aurors who had questioned her at the Lestrange Estate had not revealed that portion to the courts. Even Ron made a noise of surprise which meant he had not been briefed by the Head Auror on how the evening had impacted her.

"When you awoke the next morning, Aurors were arriving," Kingsley stated as soon as she finished. "Did you see Mr Weasley there?"

"I did not," Hermione told him.

"Did you see anyone in the house besides Mr Lestrange and Mr Greybeck when you were being held captive?"

"No."

"Before today, when was the last time you saw Mr Weasley?"

"I saw him on Christmas day at his family home. He was there for a few minutes until I overheard him tell Mrs Weasley he had somewhere to be and left."

"Did you two talk at that time?"

"No," Hermione said. On Christmas, he had glared at her before telling Molly he was meeting friends and took the Floo to Diagon Alley before anyone could protest. She had been beyond hurt that Ron still wouldn't talk to her. "We have not spoken since we got into an argument the day after the Battle of Hogwarts."

"What was your conversation about on that day?" Kingsley asked.

"Ron was not happy that I had adopted Teddy Lupin and was planning on living with Remus as we raised our son together in one home."

"Would he have had any idea that you were going to be in Hogsmeade on the second of January?"

"No. It was an unplanned trip."

"Thank you. If we have additional questions we will let you know." Kingsley looked at his watch. "We will break for an hour for lunch. Please return by two."

* * *

When they returned to the courtroom, Remus took his seat next to Hermione and held her hand. His heart had broken for his wife as he held her in an office outside of the courtroom as she cried. Even though she had a cure for lycanthropy, it was clear the news of her being a werewolf was about to become public knowledge. He knew she wasn't ready to tell the world about the potion she had created with Severus, but Remus thought it might be time.

Kingsley started the hearing again, questioning Ron one more time about the letter, but he still wouldn't admit to it. Remus could see Kingsley's patience was wearing thin and hoped the Minister would just demand they douse him with Veritaserum. It took another ten minutes of Ron's waffling and contradictions before Kingsley lost his temper.

"Mr Weasley," Kingsley's deep voice boomed. "We have samples of your writing that perfectly match the evidence found. So either you planted the note when you were investigating the crime scene or you were involved in the plot to kidnap Mrs Lupin and her son. If you don't give us a straight answer, we will administer truth serum. Which one is it?"

"I say lock him up for both if he won't answer!" an old lady from the back rows of the Wizengamot yelled and Remus saw a lot of heads around hers nodding in agreement.

It was quiet for a moment before Ron sighed loudly and started to speak.

"Fine! I didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping, but I wrote the note while I was investigating the room."

"Why would you do that?" Kingsley inquired, his voice calmer.

"Because _she_ needed to pay for her crimes!"

"Hermione?" Kingsley asked, clearly confused. "What crimes?"

"Tricking me into having feelings for her, then leaving me to go play mummy with Teddy Lupin. _We_ were supposed to get married and have a family, but instead she ran off with that _wolf_!" Ron spat the last word out with a hatred Remus had never heard from him. "She was at school, getting top grades while I was alone, struggling to pass my Auror tests. No one wants me because they think I belong to her. She deserves to pay for what she's done!"

"He's barking," George muttered from the row behind Remus, and he had to agree.

"Why am I the only one who sees what she's really like?" Ron's voice was getting louder and he was straining against his chains. "She tricks everyone into liking her with dark magic!"

"That's enough, Mr Weasley," Kingsley said. Ron continued to yell, forcing the Minister to silence him. He turned towards the Wizengamot behind him. "We have heard Mr Weasley's confession of planting false evidence at the scene of a crime. Maximum sentencing is three years in Azkaban. There is no evidence that he helped plan the kidnapping. All in favour of charges on planting false evidence?"

Remus' heart hurt for Molly; she choked out a sob as all members of the court raised their hands to convict. He could only imagine how painful this was for her. No matter how much of an arse Ronald was, he was still her son. She had lost Fred less than a year ago, and now she would have no contact with Ron for three years.

"Ronald Billius Weasley, you are hereby sentenced to three years in Azkaban prison. You will receive credit for time already served. You will be required to undergo psychiatric evaluations and therapy while you are incarcerated. Court adjourned."

The courtroom around him buzzed with noise, and he heard Arthur comforting Molly, reminding her that Azkaban no longer had Dementors and Ron would be safe. Remus tuned them out and pulled Hermione into his arms.

"Are you okay, love?" he whispered to her.

"I think so," she told him. "It's a lot to process."

"Hermione?" a voice called and they looked up to see Padma Patil in front of them. "I know this is rotten timing, but I have to report on what happened today. Do you have anything you want to add?"

"I'm assuming I can't convince you to leave the werewolf part out?" Hermione teased weakly.

"I can try, but my boss will review my notes, and you know the old biddies in the Wizengamot are going to tell people whether I report it or not. But I promise to report it honestly. I'll tell everyone that you were turned while protecting your son."

"I understand. Thank you, Padma."

Remus wanted to tell Miss Patil all about Hermione's new potion, how it had stopped him from turning. How Hermione may be a werewolf, but once she had taken it at the end of the month, she would never turn again, but he kept quiet. Hermione had already said that she didn't want it announced publicly until she left Hogwarts and they could test it on a few more people. Remus already had a list of friends he had met over the years that he knew would be willing to test it, but she wanted to make sure both of them were able to get through the full moon without changing.

He listened as Hermione answered some of Padma's questions about the status of her relationship with Ron before and after the war, how she came to adopt Teddy, and how she was dealing with her new marital and creature status. The reporter hugged Hermione goodbye, promising to print only facts in tomorrow's paper.

As Padma left, Remus turned to Hermione. "Ready to go get Teddy and head home?"

"Let me say goodbye to everyone and we can leave," she replied.

He watched as she hugged the Weasleys goodbye and Remus was suddenly grateful that, unlike Ron, they didn't hold her responsible for this situation. He smiled as Molly hugged her a second time. If Ron was the world's greatest arsehole, at least he had a wonderful mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!
> 
> Interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	23. Chapter 23

_**Weasley to Azkaban!** _

_Mr Ronald Weasley, 19, of Ottery St Catchpole has been sentenced to three years in Azkaban by the Wizengamot, writes special correspondent Padma Patil. Mr Weasley was charged with planting false evidence at the scene of a crime and was sentenced after admitting to the offence in court yesterday._

_Mr Weasley, an Auror trainee at the time, was sent to investigate the crime scene of the kidnappings of Hermione and Edward 'Teddy' Lupin, of Scotland, in early January. While there, he wrote a note stating that Mrs Lupin had orchestrated the entire kidnapping with Fenrir Greyback and Rabastan Lestrange. The note was found by another Auror who turned it in to her superiors. Mrs Lupin had already been questioned about the validity of the letter in January and was found to have committed no wrongdoing._

_When questioned about why he planted the note, Mr Weasley stated it was to get back at Mrs Lupin for toying with his affections before leaving him to raise Edward with his father — Remus Lupin, who is now her husband._

_When I spoke with Mrs Lupin about her relationship with Mr Weasley, she was quick to point out that they were never together._

" _Ron and I had feelings for each other, but had not acted on them. During the Battle of Hogwarts, we kissed and I thought we would begin dating. Due to the loss of his brother, Fred, Ron requested that we not move forward with a relationship because he would need to be focused on his family. This was something I fully supported."_

_So why the change in heart for Mr Weasley? War hero and close friend of Mr Weasley and Mrs Lupin, Harry Potter, had this to add. "Ron was hurting from the death of his brother and took his anger out on Hermione. He told her in front of me that she was choosing to raise Teddy — something Teddy's mum asked her to do with her dying breath — over their relationship. He made it clear at that time that he no longer wanted Hermione to be a part of his life."_

_The entire Weasley family was at the trial and could be seen interacting with Mrs Lupin before and after the sentencing, proving that there are no hard feelings between them._

" _Hermione has been a part of our family since the first time she came to visit us in 1994," said Molly Weasley. "We still see her as a daughter and don't blame her for the actions of our youngest son. We hope that Ronald will get the help he needs while serving his time."_

* * *

_**Hermione Lupin- Britain's Newest Werewolf!** _

_The courtroom was shocked yesterday when it was revealed that during her kidnapping, Hermione Lupin, 19, of Hogwarts School, was bit by infamous werewolf Fenrir Greyback, writes special correspondent Padma Patil._

_Mrs Lupin and her son, Edward, were taken from the streets of Hogsmeade in the late afternoon of 02 January, 1999. Kidnapped by Rabastan Lestrange on the evening of the full moon, she was taken to Lestrange Estate where her son was separated from her and Greyback threatened to turn the baby into a werewolf._

_Using a knife she had hidden in her purse and a house-elf, Mrs Lupin was able to get away from Lestrange by slitting his throat. The house-elf was able to Apparate young Edward to safety, but Mrs Lupin was not so lucky and was bitten by a transformed Greyback before she could leave. She was able to use her knife to land a killing blow before her own transition began._

_It has been three months since then and she said she is learning to live with her new affliction._

" _I am still the same person as I was before, but now I take a potion to make sure I don't hurt anyone during the full moon. Werewolves are regular people twenty-nine days out of the month and don't deserve to be classified as Beasts or treated any differently than humans with a medical condition."_

_Harry Potter is not only Mrs Lupin's best friend; he is also the godfather to the son she shares with Remus Lupin — another werewolf._

" _Remus and Hermione are great people and wonderful parents. Anyone who was taught by Remus at Hogwarts knows that not all werewolves are like Greyback. They deserve the same rights as the rest of us, and the Wizengamot can expect me to fight for their rights when they are next in session."_

_Andromeda Tonks, Private Healer, Mr Lupin's former mother-in-law, and grandmother to Edward, was quick to add her support as well._

" _Remus and Hermione are no different than any other parent. They want to make the world a better place for their children. My own daughter, Dora [Mr Lupin's late wife] had no problem with Remus being a werewolf, and neither do I."_

_I spoke to Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, as well as other prominent members of society — including the Longbottoms, Malfoys, and Weasleys — who have all lended their support to Mr and Mrs Lupin and Harry Potter as they begin their campaign to change werewolf rights._

Hermione sat the Saturday edition of the Daily Prophet down on the coffee table before her. Tomorrow the rest of the students would be returning from the Easter Holidays and she was nervous about how they would react to the news that was printed today. Padma had kept her word and painted her new condition in the best light possible, but it didn't change the fact that there was a long history of mistrust and hatred towards werewolves in their society.

She wasn't surprised to see the quotes from Harry or Andromeda in the article, but she was shocked that people were already publicly supporting her. Including the Malfoys. She hadn't spoken to Draco or Lucius Malfoy since their trials, but she had seen Narcissa a couple of times at Andi's since they had reconnected. Narcissa was always polite and Hermone could only guess that she had roped the Malfoy men into supporting her because of her new relationship with her sister.

The rush of noise of the Floo activating pulled Hermione from her thoughts and she looked up as Remus stepped out of the flames. "Teddy all settled in with Andi?" she asked.

"He wouldn't even say goodbye to me before I left," Remus said, coming to sit next to her on the sofa. "Took off crawling towards her as soon as I let him down and never looked back."

Andi had offered to watch Teddy for the night so Remus and Hermione could go out on a date before the term resumed. Remus had planned a night out for them in Edinburgh and she was looking forward to being away from the castle with him.

"Did you see the paper?"

"Yes, Andi showed it to me. I wasn't aware that Harry was going to fight for the laws to be changed. Were you?"

"No," Hermione answered. "He never talked to me about it."

"I really think with his support and the new potion that we can see real progress for our rights." Remus paused and cleared his throat. "I never thought I would live to see the day where things could change for people like me. People like us."

Hermione moved, straddling Remus and taking his face in her hands. "You are a wonderful man, Remus, and you deserve to be treated as such. I'm sorry that you've suffered for so long, but hopefully we can change that."

"If anyone can, it's you and Harry. If Voldemort couldn't stop you two, I doubt a room full of old stiffs stands a chance."

"You have a point," Hermione said, laughing. "Now Mr Lupin, would you like to fuck now or wait until after dinner?"

Every time Remus walked into the room, Hermione wanted him. Everything about him was a turn on to her, from the way he smelled, to the way he walked, to how he looked reading a book. Now that he was hers she didn't have to hold back her desire for him. As soon as he stepped through the flames, she was ready and waiting for him to take her.

"Oh, my love," Remus growled. "I hope you don't think I'm so old that I can't go more than once in a day."

Remus stood up and Hermione wrapped her legs around his hips as he walked them into their bedroom. Placing her on the bed, he began to remove his clothes and she wasted no time in stripping her own off, throwing them to the floor. Naked, she made her way to the middle of the bed and leaned back against the pillows.

Crawling over the footboard, Remus licked her ankle before kissing his way up her legs, using his hands to spread her thighs wide for him. Pulling her legs up so they settled on his shoulders, he leaned down and swiped his tongue along her wet seam.

"You taste so fucking good, love. Such a sweet little pussy for me."

Hermione groaned at his words. Remus, normally so soft spoken and restrained, had the filthiest mouth when he was fucking her.

"Use your fingers and open yourself up to me. I want to see your cunt before I make you come all over my face."

"Helga fucking Hufflepuff," she murmurred, but didn't hesitate.

Moving her right hand, she used her middle and forefinger to push her pussy lips apart. Remus licked his lips before leaning down and flicking the tip of his tongue against her clit.

"Tell me what you want, Hermione. Tell me who owns this, who owns you."

"I want you to lick me, Remus," Hermione choked out. It was hard to concentrate. This was a first for them, and a first for her. "Put your fingers in my… your pussy. Please! It belongs to you… I belong to you."

"That's right. You're mine."

"Yes, Remus! All yours."

Remus slipped two fingers into her and Hermione cried out. How she had survived for so long without him touching her, she would never know. There was nothing in the world better than the feel of him — any part of him — inside her. He sucked hard on her clit, and her vision went blank as her orgasm overtook her.

"I'm yours too, you know," Remus said, kissing her inner thighs as she came back to reality. "You own me as much as I own you."

"Well, why don't you put that thing I own inside of me?" Hermione teased.

He removed her thighs from his shoulders, crawled up her body, and placed his hard cock at her entrance. "You mean this thing?" He shifted his hips so the tip entered her. "Is this what you want?"

"Please."

He pushed into her in one swift movement, causing her to cry out. He stilled himself long enough to make sure she wasn't hurt before he began to move.

"Fuck, you have the tightest pussy. You feel so good wrapped around my cock. I want to stay inside of you forever."

Hermione answered his words. Or at least she thought she did. The way he made her feel when he was fucking her turned her brain to porridge and she lost every ounce of intelligence she had. She was reduced to moans, gasps, and overuse of the word _fuck_ as soon as his dick pressed into her. Nothing existed but the flutterings of her cunt as small orgasms rippled through her until she felt his seed fill her and his body collapsed on hers.

He rolled them until she was laying on top of him and she laid her head on his chest, the sound of his pounding heart filling her ears. It was sometime later, when the beats had evened out, that Remus gave her arse a hard squeeze.

"We better get ready to go or we'll miss dinner," he told her.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked. "I want to make sure I'm dressed correctly."

"A nice little French place that serves steaks that are cooked bleu, perfect for my little she-wolf."

"Mostly raw meat? You do know the way to my heart, Remus. If you're good while we're out, I'll let you have me for dessert when we come back."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	24. Chapter 24

After finding out they were expecting during the Easter holiday, Hermione and Remus had met with Madam Pomfrey to get checked out. The matron had assured them that even though they were both wolves, her pregnancy was no different than any other women's except that a bonded wolf pair were more likely to have multiple fetuses and the chance of miscarriage was almost none.

Severus' words about werewolves having a litter ran through her head and she had begged Madam Pomfrey to check and see how many children she was going to have. Insisting that it was too soon to tell, they had left the hospital wing with a list of potions for her to take and a reminder to come back for check ups every month.

Hermione had spent the summer term busy with revising for her N.E.W.T.s, brewing her antenatal potions, and writing up the required information about the new potion she and Severus had created. They had settled on the name Monkshood as it was another name for the wolf's-bane plant. At the end of April, Hermione had taken her dose and after making sure neither her nor Remus transformed, they had started doing trials on some of Remus' contacts.

Out of the ten people who had tested it, none of them had become wolves during the May full moon. One woman did have an allergic reaction to the cedarwood oil, but it was easily fixed with an antihistamine potion, and no other adverse reactions had occurred. The next full moon was in three weeks, just a few days after her N.E.W.T.s would finish, and Hermione hoped their next test subjects had the same results.

"Are you ready?" Remus asked, walking into the potions lab where Hermione had taken to studying instead of the library.

"For?" She was deep in her notes on Ancient Runes and couldn't remember what they were supposed to be doing.

"Madam Pomfrey said we could check to see if you are carrying more than one child today."

"Oh! I forgot that was today." Hermione looked around. "Where's Teddy? I thought you were spending time with him while I studied in here."

"I was, but Molly showed up and wanted to play with him. I guess Bill and Fleur took Victoire to France to see her other grandparents and Molly is having baby withdrawals."

Hermione had to laugh at Molly. Fleur had given birth to a beautiful baby girl on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and Molly had lost her mind over her granddaughter. Fleur had written to Hermione two weeks after she had given birth and begged her to ask Molly to watch Teddy for a night or two just so Fleur could have a few hours without her mother-in-law in the house. She may love her, but after two weeks of Molly underfoot, Fleur needed a break. Hermione could only imagine how much Molly was missing having a baby around while Bill and Fleur were out of the country.

"You know she's going to go crazy when she finds out we're expecting, right?" Hermione asked.

They hadn't told anyone outside of the school matron and Snape's portrait about her pregnancy. Even though they had been told that the wolf magic in her veins meant the chances of miscarrying were almost none, Hermione couldn't get over her Muggle upbringing that said it was unlucky to tell anyone before the second trimester. They had just passed twelve weeks a few days ago.

"I know," Remus said, placing his hand on her lower back and leading her out of the lab and towards the hospital wing. "I think Andi will too. Have you thought about asking her to be your healer once you're done with school?"

"I know we haven't decided where we are going to live this summer, but I think I'm going to ask her, even if we stay here. Madam Pomfrey is great, but I think I feel safer with Andi because she worked in Labour and Delivery before going into private care."

"We'll figure out where to live once you decide what you want to do after you're done with your schooling."

They'd had this conversation multiple times since their bonding. Dumbledore's portrait was convinced that the curse on the Defence job was broken now that Voldemort was dead, and Headmistress McGonagall had told Remus the job was his for as long as he wanted it. Even though she hadn't finished her exams yet, Hermione already had job offers from multiple departments within the Ministry, two offers from the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France, one from MACUSA, and the professors of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes had both offered her apprenticeships.

She had turned down the foreign offers right away. With Floo travel, she could be in London in an instant, but travel to France or America was more complicated and she didn't want to be away from Teddy, Remus, or their new child. The Arithmancy apprenticeship was currently at the top of her list because she would be working and living in the castle and she liked the subject more than Runes. Hermione had another idea she was toying with, but hadn't mentioned it yet, because it wouldn't bring in any income at first and she had spent a lot of her savings on creating the new potion with Severus.

"I'll make up my mind soon, Remus," she told him.

When they arrived at the hospital wing, he held the door open for her.

"Just remember," Remus said, "I'll support you, no matter what you choose."

They walked into the hospital wing and waved at Madam Pomfrey who was tending to a younger student. Making their way to the back of the room, Hermione drew the privacy curtains around the last bed and silenced the space. She didn't need the student learning that she was pregnant and telling the whole school. They sat in comfortable silence until the matron walked around the screens.

"Are you ready to find out how many you're having?" she asked. "And have you decided if you want to find out the gender?"

"Umm." Hermione looked to Remus who shrugged and told her it was her choice. "Yes. To both."

"Perfect. Up on the bed, mummy. Let's see how you're doing."

Hermione watched as Madam Pomfrey ran the diagnostic spells over her stomach. She was an only child, but she had seen enough television to realise that magic made these exams so much easier. Nothing was shoved up her twat and there was no cold jelly on her stomach. She didn't even have to put her feet in stirrups. Madam Pomfrey flicked her wand and an image appeared, floating above Hermione's stomach.

"Everything looks great on the scans, Hermione." The matron pointed towards the image. "I hope you two are ready to have your hands full because you're having twins."

"And you're sure there aren't any more hiding?" Hermione asked. She was shocked that she was pregnant with two and she didn't think she could handle more than that. "I've seen enough films and read books where there is always one hiding in the back. You promise?"

"Watch, I'll rotate the image for you. See, no matter what angle you look at, only two babies."

"And the gender?" Remus asked. Hermione looked up to see that he was staring at the image, tears in his eyes.

"You're sure you want to know?" Madam Pomfrey asked. When they both answered in the affirmative, she smiled. "Congratulations, mum and dad. You're having two girls."

* * *

Some part of Remus' mind registered that the matron had left them alone, but he only had eyes for Hermione. They were having twin girls! Two baby girls that were half him and half her.

"Girls?" Hermione whispered. "We're having two girls?"

"Are you happy, love?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. I… I thought I was having a boy. I know how to raise a boy. I don't know how to have a girl, let alone two."

"I think the logistics are about the same when they're babies. Just some of the body parts are different. Girls don't have… umm… dangly bits."

"Dangly bits?" Hermione asked, giggling. "Who are you and what have you done with my smart husband?"

"Sorry, just a little overwhelmed," Remus told her honestly. He tried to speak but his throat was thick with emotion. He cleared it twice before he was able to speak. "I never expected to have any children and now I'll have three. And I have this beautiful, brilliant wife who has changed not only my life, but the life of people like me. I don't think I deserve all the good that has happened to me."

Hermione moved from the bed and sat on his lap. She took his face in her hands and turned it so he was looking at her.

"You listen to me Remus Lupin. You've had a shit life. You were turned into a werewolf as a child and the world turned its back on you. All of your childhood friends, your brothers, have died. You had a wonderful wife who gave up her life so you could live. Yet through all of this, you're not bitter. You're not closed off. You're a wonderful, caring, loving man. You're an amazing husband and an even better father. You deserve _every_ single good thing in this world and then some. Teddy and I love you," Hermione paused and placed her hand on her stomach, "and I know our little girls are going to love you too."

"I love you." Remus looked at his wife, in awe that she was really his. He placed his hand on her still flat stomach. "All three of you." Remus paused for a moment, a thought crossing his mind. "The clock Molly gave us; it only had one additional spoon. Why didn't it show that we were having twins?"

"I thought about that when Madam Pomfrey said we could be having multiples," Hermione said. "Molly said the clock shows another spoon when the egg is fertilised. With identical twins, only one egg is fertilised, then it splits into two, which can take over a week to happen. I think if we asked her, she would tell us that when she was first pregnant with Fred and George it only showed the one. We haven't looked at it since she gave it to us. I bet if we looked now, there would be another spoon."

They made their way from the hospital wing back to their rooms in silence, not wanting to be overheard by any of the students. Everyone may have accepted that they were married, but a pregnancy would still send shock waves through the castle. When they entered their rooms, Molly was still gone with Teddy, so Remus ordered tea and they cuddled up on the sofa together.

"When do you think we should tell everyone?" Remus asked.

"When I'm done with N.E.W.T.s, I think," Hermione said. "I don't want to be asked a ton of questions. I would rather focus on ending this chapter of my life before I start letting people read the next one."

"I think that's a good idea. Now, are you ready to tell me what's been on your mind for the last few weeks, or do I still need to wait?"

"How did you know?"

"You chew on the right side of your lip when you're studying. You chew on the left side when you have something you want to talk about but want to avoid at the same time."

"I've been thinking about what I want to do after I'm done here. N.E.W.T.s are in a couple of days, which means I have less than three weeks of my education left."

Remus pulled Hermione onto his lap and smoothed his hand over her hair. He'd noticed the move always called her down. "And after? Will you work for the Ministry or take on one of the apprenticeships you were offered?"

"I don't want to do either," Hermione said quietly. "But I know I have to because my savings are running low."

"So what would you like to do? If you didn't have to worry about money?"

"What I want to do will make money eventually, but not for a few months or maybe even a year or two. Probably longer because I'll have three children. And I know we have Winky, but I don't like the idea of missing out on their lives, but even though I'm a mum, I'm still _me_ and I still have goals and thin–"

"Hermione, love. You're rambling. Just tell me."

She took a deep breath before speaking, calmer this time. "I want to market the Monkshood potion. See if I can sell the recipe to the Ministry here and in other countries. Severus said he can give me some names of people to talk to. But we have to wait until we know it lasts for the whole year and the second dose is still effective."

"That sounds reasonable," Remus said. "Our daughters are due around Christmas, so by the time you're ready to market the potion, they'll be around five months old. Old enough for travel or to stay home with me for a few days. But that doesn't sound like enough to have you so worked up."

"It's only half of what I want to do," Hermione admitted. "I want to write two potions textbooks. Proper ones that can be used here. With Severus' help."

"What's wrong with the ones that are being used now?"

"Did you know it's the same ones that you used when you were here? The Ministry hasn't allowed Hogwarts to make changes to the potions books in over fifty years. Not only are they missing potions that are more useful, the ones that are in the books aren't correct or need to be improved.

"When Snape was the professor, we used the book for learning about the way ingredients interact and the laws of potion making, but we never brewed using the recipes from the text. I thought he just wanted us to keep our workspaces cleaner, but that's not it. When I was in sixth year, Harry came across a copy of Snape's old book. It had all these changes to the potions that made them better. It wasn't until earlier this year when I was working with him that I realised the potions we brewed before had been changed by him."

"So you think you can write a text that has the improved potions and sell it to the Ministry? But it will be with Severus' improvements?" Remus asked, trying to make sure he understood. "He was always fiddling with the ingredients in class so it makes sense that he would make changes."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "There are things in the text now that can remain, but a lot of it needs to be overhauled. I know I can convince Severus to help me. I think there is a real need for it. But once again, it wouldn't make any money until after I finished it."

"I think we can make it for a while on my salary. By living here for ten months, we have no bills and very few expenses. Harry already offered to fund your work on the Monkshood potion if you need it. Why don't you put this aside until after your exams, and then you can make some of those lists you love so much before you make any decisions?"

"But if I chose to work on the textbooks, you'd support me? You don't think it's dumb?"

"I don't think anything you've ever done is _dumb_ , Hermione. If you think they need to be updated, they probably do. And with me not working over the summer, I can be with Teddy all day and you can make headway on the textbooks. If I know you, you'll have one of them finished before September."

"Thank you, Remus. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Remus leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I know of something else I can do to make you feel better. Why don't we have some fun while Molly has Teddy?"

Standing, Hermione pulled him off the sofa and towards their room.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell... I just realised this is the last chapter. Monday will be the epilogue. 
> 
> But, I have a Remione(ish) chapter being posted as part of The 12 Days of Cockmas very soon!!!! 
> 
> Let me know what you thought and interact with me on Tumblr (tridogmom)


	25. Epilogue

**26 Aug 2018**

"Edward Tonks Lupin, do you take Victoire Gabrielle Weasley to be–"

Hermione let the voice of the officiant fade into the background as she watched her son exchange vows with Victoire. They were so young, but she had no doubt about how much they loved each other. Teddy had waited approximately ten seconds after his girlfriend had stepped off the Hogwarts Express before he was on his knee, his grandmother's ring extended. Victoire hadn't even waited for him to ask her to marry him before she screeched _yes_ and tackled him to the ground.

Twenty years had flown by since Hermione adopted Teddy. After Hermione had finished her schooling, she started updating the Potion textbooks. Since Remus had summers off, he'd watched Teddy and she was able to complete the O.W.L. level book within two months. By the time school started that September, all students years five and below were using _Everyday Potions and Salves_ by _Hermione Lupin and Severus Snape._

After classes started up for Remus, Molly and Andi took turns watching Teddy as Hermione worked on the N.E.W.T. level text, _Advanced Brews_. She had finished by the end of November, just in time to give birth to her twin girls three weeks before their due date. They were born without names because Remus and Hermione couldn't settle on any until two days after they were born.

Hermione had fallen in love with the name Remi after a discussion with a very religious Ethiopian werewolf she had administered the Monkshood potion to. He had talked about Remiel, the archangel of hope. Remus was set against the name as it was close to his own and Teddy's middle name. Since his mother's name was Hope, Hermione thought it was perfect. It took a full day until she finally convinced her husband, and with a quick trip to the Ministry, Teddy's middle name was changed from Remus to Tonks, in honour of his late mother.

The name Siiri was easier to settle on. Remus wanted something to honour his brothers, but didn't want to use James since he was Harry's father. Hermione had been flipping through the Finnish section of a baby name book when it popped out at her. Besides being similar to Sirius, she loved the meaning of _beautiful victory._

Turning her head, Hermione smiled at her daughters who had just finished their sixth year at Hogwarts. Siiri Andromeda and Remi Minerva were as mischievous as their marauding uncles and father had been. But they had also inherited Hermione's kindness and were especially wonderful to all their many Weasley, Potter, Longbottom, and Malfoy 'cousins'. But their favourite cousin was without a doubt Sarah Shacklebolt—the surprise child of Andi and Kingsley—who was just a year younger than they were.

Her inner thoughts were cut off as a large sob came from Molly Weasley and the officiant pronounced Teddy and Victoire bonded for life. Hermione cheered as they ran up the aisle and into the old treehouse in the back garden of Lupin Cottage. Located on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, Victoire had refused to be married anywhere else because of all the happy memories she had with Teddy in this house.

Remus and Hermione had purchased their home eighteen years ago after Hermione received her first check from the Ministry of Magic when they purchased the rights to the Monkshood potion. After that, ministries from all over the world had reached out to her and done the same. Now, almost two decades after inventing the potion with Severus, Hermione and Remus were one of the richest families in Britain and it had been more than ten years since a new werewolf had been created.

Not one to stay idle, Hermione had studied under the finest potion masters in the world and was now the Potions professor at Hogwarts. Remus often found her in the lab, arguing with Snape's portrait as she experimented with new brews.

"I can't believe how fast time goes by," Harry said, coming to stand by Hermione as the chairs were rearranging themselves for the reception.

"I was just thinking that," Hermione said, leaning into his side.

Ginny handed Hermione a drink from a passing tray. "I can't believe your little troublemaker is married."

"Teddy wasn't that bad," Remus said, looking confused.

"Have you forgotten how often he used to get into trouble as a kid?"

Harry laughed, obviously agreeing with his wife. "You mean when he used to morph into his cousins to either get them in trouble or take their punishments in exchange for money?"

"I forgot he used to do that," Remus said, joining in the laughter. "The number of times I caught him changing his robes and looks and trying to sneak into Victoire's common room was ridiculous."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said, hiding her smile. "My son was always a perfect angel."

* * *

The last of the guests had left their garden and Hermione checked the wards on the house one last time before stopping to look up at the sky. Molly and Andi had stayed late to help clean up and Hermione had rolled her eyes as they wondered how long it would be until they were great-grandmothers. At thirty-eight, she was nowhere near ready to be a grandmother and hoped her son and his new wife waited a long time before they had children.

She had been reflecting on the last twenty years of her life so much today and couldn't help but think of all the changes that had happened since the night she had saved Remus' life. So much happiness had come from that one moment in time. Like she did most nights, Hermione sent a silent prayer of thanks to the universe for sending her back in time so she could save her husband. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like if she didn't have him.

Well, if she thought about Ron's wife, currently pregnant with their fifth child, she had some idea. They hadn't been at the wedding today—Teddy, her sweet, loving Hufflepuff _hated_ Ron and Victoire didn't feel much different—but Hermione heard news of him from George from time to time.

After he had been released from Azkaban, fully rehabilitated thanks to intense therapy with multiple mind healers, Ron was living with his parents and no one would hire him. Taking pity on her old friend, Hermione had reached out to George and convinced him to hire his youngest brother to manage the newest Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes branch in Canada. Ron may have been an arse, but he always had a head for strategy and doubled their business within months of working with George.

"You coming to bed, NeNe?" Remus asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Moony feeling the pull of the moon too?" Hermione asked.

It was the night of the full moon, and whilst neither of them had transformed in over nineteen years, they were still affected by its rays. Every month, their hormones would rise and it would be hard to keep their hands to themselves. Their inner wolves, quieter than they had been before, would come closer to the surface.

"The girls are staying over at Kings and Andi's tonight. I want you. Right here."

"Outside?"

"Just like the first time. Don't you remember how it felt? Hard and fast with the dirt beneath us? Becoming one under the open sky?"

Hermione remembered. How could she forget? Turning in Remus' arms, she kissed him with all the passion she had the first time their lips met. Growling, he twisted his hand in her hair and pulled her head back.

"On your knees, witch," he commanded the same way he had that night.

Like every time they were together, Hermione didn't hesitate. So many things in their lives had changed, but the one constant was what that one little phrase did to her. Knickers ruined beyond repair, she vanished them and the rest of their clothes before getting on her hands on knees, ready for Remus to take her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's over! Thank you so much to everyone who read and commented on this story. Your reactions, encouragement, and love brought so much joy into my life over the last 5 months.
> 
> Another huge THANK YOU to my ABC's. My Alpha BreathOfThePhoenix; my beautiful, talented friend and Beta PotionChemist; and my soulmate, my cheerleader LuxLouise.
> 
> Also thank you to the admin and mod team of The Wolf's Lair on FB for accepting me and encouraging my Remione love.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Art] NeNe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27261052) by [Ada_Lovelaced](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ada_Lovelaced/pseuds/Ada_Lovelaced)




End file.
